Iran claimed on Thursday that Israel was attempting to sabotage its ballistic missile development by introducing faulty foreign components that could explode, causing damage to or destruction of the weapons before they could be utilized.
The claim was made in a report that was shown on Iranian state television, but the Israeli prime minister’s office chose not to respond. A reporter added that the components might possibly be utilized in Iran’s sizable drone fleet.
The purported Israeli operation was referred to in the report as “one of the biggest attempts at sabotage” it has ever seen. It claimed that low-cost “connectors,” as they were referred to in the state TV program, were provided by Israeli Mossad agents.
State TV broadcast footage of the claimed components, some of which protruded into the air.
The items displayed on television seemed to be high-density circular electrical connectors with a military design.
Such connectors can transmit electricity and signals when connecting electronic drone or missile parts, such as the guidance computer.
According to state television military correspondent Younes Shadloo, “this was planted in a part called the connector, which is responsible for connecting the (computer) network of Iranian-made ballistic missiles as well as drones.” It appears that the component had a modified explosive kit hidden inside it.
Although several Iranian websites that advertise such connectors claim that Russian-made ones are the best on the market, the state TV program did not explain why Iran intended to import the connectors from abroad.
Russia is subject to international sanctions as a result of its conflict with Ukraine, which has put a strain on its own supply of the electronics required for missile systems.
According to claims from experts who have disassembled the weapons, the Russian drones used in the conflict were also built in Iran and contain circular connectors.
The problematic components’ discovery date and whether they had previously been used in a ballistic missile were not mentioned in the TV program.
An engineer was killed and another was injured in an explosion that occurred in May 2022 at Parchin, a significant Iranian military and weapons development facility east of Tehran.
A number of targeted murders of Iranian nuclear scientists have been linked to Israel. Iranian nuclear sites have also been harmed by sabotage attacks.
The uranium centrifuge control units were also harmed by the Stuxnet computer malware in the late 2000s, spinning out of control and destroying themselves. Most experts blame America, Israel, and Iran for the attack.
Iran accuses Israel of plotting to sabotage their missile industry
'The Iranians want to tell the world that they have an effective counterespionage operation and can protect themselves from operations like this, whether they're true or false' says our @owenalterman pic.twitter.com/Nzu3Rpo8e6
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 31, 2023
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