Last Saturday a powerful explosion occurred 45 km from Tehran. Later, the Iranian authorities reported that the incident happened among the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A cloud of smoke could be seen from a long distance away, and soon pictures of it appeared on the Internet.
According to preliminary data, the number of victims was 27 people, later it decreased to 17 people. This difference was explained by a mistake in the text of the report, which was sent to Tehran from the place of the incident.
Soon the incident was officially explained as an emergency during transportation of armaments, but later the international media spread another kind of information.
According to some reliable sources, the explosion took place near a missile base of the IRGC, where Shuhab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of reaching Israel, are stored. When it was understood that the facility had strategic importance, reports on an Israeli diversion appeared immediately.
The well-known American blogger Richard Silverstein (Zilbershtein) was first to blame Mossad for the explosion. It is not the first time that Silverstein has proven his reputation as a manipulator and dilettante in covered issues. However, some journalists think that the information published by him shouldn’t be fully neglected. Sometimes certain informed sources use Silverstein for leaking information, as it can be forbidden for publication by censorship.
The blogger also added that Israeli intelligence services use the opposition group Mojaheddin Halk for committing diversions, attempts on lives and information gathering.
Following Silverstein, the American magazine Time also reported on the Mossad version, citing an anonymous top officer of some Western intelligence service. At last the Guardian later cited an anonymous Iranian source close to the power structures.
No reliable estimates of damage have been published yet, but some preliminary conclusions can be drawn.
First of all, some media reports that Shihab-4 missiles were also stored at this base shouldn’t be taken seriously, as there are no such missiles at all. It is hardly important that Shihab-3 missiles were damaged, if they were stored there at all. These missiles are usually stored empty and without warheads, according to the demands of security standards. So they couldn’t explode. Moreover, the color of the smoke pictured by Internet users indicates that no liquid fuel was burning.
However, human losses are significant both to the Iranian force structures or to the IRGC.
Hasan Teherani-Mokdam, the head of the IRGC subdivision on development of missile and artillery armaments, was among the 17 victims. All prominent religious, military and political activists of the country, including Supreme leader Ali Khamenai, came to Mokdam’s burial.
Returning to the reason for the explosion, it should be noted that more and more Iranian officials deny the possibility of a diversion at the IRGC base.
The head of the general headquarters of the Iranian army, Hasan Firuabdi, said that the explosion was caused by some tests and military research. He emphasized that neither Israel nor the USA has anything to do with the incident. At the same time, the general stated that the result of the research “could attack Israel seriously.”
Thus, there is no one solid answer to the reason for the explosion at the important Iranian military facility. Of course, the possibility of a diversion shouldn’t be discarded, but it is unpersuasive version and has no serious evidence to back it up.
Petr Luksimon, Israel. Exclusively to VK.
