Natanz nuclear facility is generally recognized as Iran's central facility for uranium enrichment with over 19,000 gas centrifuges currently operational and nearly half of them being fed with uranium hexafluoride.

“Fortunately, the incident did not cause any human injuries or pollution,” Kamalvandi added.

He noted that the causes of the accident were under investigation and further information would be announced later.

On 2 July 2020, an explosion hit a centrifuge assembly facility in Natanz. Three quarters of the above-ground parts of the facility where advanced centrifuges were being assembled were damaged.

Iran admitted serious damage to its facility while Western analysts said the explosion had set back the Iranian nuclear program for one to two years. (ILKHA)