Iran has accused Israel for a supposed attempt to undermine its ballistic missile capabilities using foreign components rigged to explode.

Thursday’s revelation, broadcast on Iranian state television, described the purported Israeli plot as “one of the biggest attempts at sabotage” Iran has encountered. The report directly implicated agents from Israel’s Mossad in providing these potentially explosive components, identifying them as underpriced “connectors.” These are specialized components akin to military-grade, high-density circular electrical connectors, pivotal in linking electronic elements of a missile or drone.

The report’s military correspondent, Younes Shadloo, noted, “This was planted in a part called the connector… Apparently, the part contained a modified explosive kit planted in it and was timed to explode at a certain time.” The timing and discovery of these components remain undisclosed, as does whether any had been previously incorporated into ballistic missiles.

This comes as Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister, Mehdi Farahi, made additional allegations about foreign agents embedding undetectable explosive circuits within missiles to detonate them at predetermined times.

Digging Deeper:
Historically, Iran’s missile and nuclear programs have been marred by mysterious setbacks. From the fatal explosion at the Parchin military base in 2022 to intermittent failures in the space sector, suspicions have frequently leaned toward external sabotage. Prominent examples include the targeted assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and the disruptive Stuxnet computer virus in the late 2000s, widely believed to be a combined US-Israeli operation.