*TEHRAN: Authorities in Iran have arrested members of a network linked toIsrael who tried to sabotage a key nuclear enrichment plant, state mediareported.*

The suspects “planned on sabotaging the Fordo facility and were arrested bythe intelligence services of the Revolutionary Guards”, IRNA news agencylink said.

Fordo is an underground uranium enrichment facility located outside thecentral city of Qom, around 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Tehran.

IRNA did not specify the identity of the suspects or say how many werearrested.

But the agency said that Israeli intelligence agents tried “to approach” anemployee at Fordo after “recruiting” one of his neighbours, in order togain information about a centrifuge used at the facility.

Iran has repeatedly accused US or Israeli agents of spying on andattempting to sabotage its nuclear programme, including by killingscientists.

In August 2012, saboteurs blew up power lines supplying Fordo.

Two years later, Iran said it had arrested several “spies” in Bushehrprovince, where the country s sole nuclear plant is based.

In 2020, Tehran accused Israel of being responsible for the killing of topIranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in an attack near Tehran.

The following year it claimed Israel was behind a “small explosion” thathit its Natanz uranium enrichment plant.