Report says Iranian nuke site damaged

TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Updated satellite images Wednesday show a key Iranian nuclear facility in Isfahan suffered damage in an explosion.

The Times of London quoted unnamed Israeli intelligence officials who based their conclusions on satellite images showing smoke billowing from the direction of the plant, Haaretz said Wednesday.

The British daily quoted Israeli sources as saying there was "no doubt" Monday's explosion damaged the nuclear facility. The anonymous sources ruled out the possibility an accident caused the blast.

The Isfahan plant went into operation in 2004 taking uranium from mines and producing gas used to feed the centrifuges that enrich uranium, Haaretz reported. The Isfahan facility feeds the country's main nuclear enrichment plant in Natanz.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency first reported the explosion Monday afternoon but later retracted the story. The agency said an explosion was heard at 2:40 p.m., local time and quoted Mohammed Mehdi Ismaili, the deputy governor, as saying it was heard across the city.

Later, however, Ismaili told the official news agency IRNA reports of an explosion were baseless and fabricated