A massive explosion that shook Iran’s capital was seen in area of the Islamic Republic’s eastern mountains which analysts believe is home to secret underground missile production sites, satellite photographs revealed on Saturday.
The Fars news agency initially reported that the mysterious blast was triggered by “an industrial gas tank explosion” adjacent to a defense ministry facility. It cited an “informed source” who said the site of the explosion was unrelated to the military.
The incident took place in an area close to where international inspectors believe the Iran executed high-explosive tests two decades ago for nuclear weapon triggers.
انفجار در شرق تهران/ یک مقام آگاه: تصاویری که از بامداد امروز در فضای مجازی با عنوان وقوع انفجار در #شرق_تهران منتشر شده مربوط به انفجار یک مخزن گاز صنعتی در حاشیه یکی از مراکز #وزارت_دفاع بوده است. این انفجار هیچ ارتباطی به تاسیسات نظامی واقع در این منطقه ندارد. pic.twitter.com/sxQnS2ALPo
— خبرگزاری فارس (@FarsNews_Agency) June 25, 2020
The blast rocked homes, shook windows and ‘illuminated’ the horizon early Friday in the Alborz Mountains region. Later on, state TV aired a segment from what it claimed was the site of the blast.
Reports: Explosion in Iran’s eastern mountains was caused by a cyber attack that turned the facility on itself, destroying Iran's Shahab long-range missile force stored in the Khajir tunnel base complex as well as the solid fuel production facility. pic.twitter.com/WBo88jRduJ
— Rɪᴄʜᴀʀᴅ Kᴇᴍᴘ ⋁ (@COLRICHARDKEMP) June 28, 2020
One of its reporters stood in front of what looked to be large, blackened gas cylinders. However the footage raised eyebrows as the camera remained tightly focused and didn’t show the site’s surroundings. Defense Ministry spokesman Davood Abdi claimed that the blast came from an unidentified gas leak. He added that there were no causalties in the explosion. But skeptics like Heshmat Alavi smell a cover up.
Can this massive explosion, with a huge orange-colored light, be the result of such a small rupture in this gas tank?
It has even left the teflon tape on this valve intact.My take:
Rest assured the regime in #Iran is lying & covering up something big. pic.twitter.com/RP4RWjFy1P— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) June 26, 2020
Abdi described the site as a “public area,” raising the question of why military officials and not civilian firefighters would be in charge. The state TV report refused to respond reports AP.
#Iran aired this footage, raising many questions:
-Why did state media quickly claim it was a “gas explosion” without any investigations?
-Why is there no other footage?
-Why no aerial films of this claimed site?
-Why were no other reporters allowed there?pic.twitter.com/rMHJ8HuYwp— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) June 26, 2020
Satellite images of the area, roughly 12 miles east of Tehran, showed hundreds of yards of blackened area not seen in images of the area taken in the weeks ahead of the incident. The building near the charred out area resembled the facility seen in the state TV footage.
