Iran says it foiled attack on nuclear agency building

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iranian media on Wednesday reported an attack on a building owned by the country’s Atomic Energy Organization was foiled. 

A “sabotage operation” on an unidentified building of the Atomic Energy Organization failed, without causing any damage, IRIB news reported. It did not provide details of the nature or target of the attack.

Iran’s nuclear facilities have come under attack several times recently. In April, a small explosion damaged centrifuges at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant in Isfahan province. Tehran blamed Israel. The outgoing head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service has signaled Israel played a role in attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and the killing of a nuclear scientist.

This week, Iran temporarily shut down its Bushehr nuclear power plant because of a “technical fault.”

Tehran is in talks with members of the nuclear deal to revive the accord, bringing the United States back on board, lifting sanctions, and Iran back into full compliance with its nuclear obligations. 

German’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday that an agreement could be reached soon. The negotiations “aren’t easy,” he told reporters in a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Berlin. "Nevertheless we are moving forward step-by-step in every round of negotiations and we assume that in the context of the [Iranian] presidential election, there's a good chance to conclude them in the foreseeable future."