Explosion At Iranian Military Site Known For Nuclear Testing: Official Version Is Gas Explosion

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In the early hours of June 26^th, an explosion took place in Parchin, east of Tehran.

At about 12:30 a.m. local time a video of an explosion was published in the social media showing a loud sound and a strange orange light that looked like a sunset.

First video report of a massive explosion with red light around Tehran, heard by many residents. Reports of a military outpost around there. #Iran pic.twitter.com/lQT4CPFLUC

— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) June 25, 2020

They posted this locator map: pic.twitter.com/NVPV7ktBHJ

— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) June 25, 2020

Parchin hosts a military base in which, reportedly, nuclear activity had been carried out by Iran. The Parchin military complex is home to Iran’s largest production of rockets & alleged nuclear related testing.

Defense ministry spokesman Davoud Abdi told state TV the blast happened at a gas storage facility in a “public area” of Parchin rather than the military base.

The fire had been put out and no casualties had been reported, he added, but gave no details about the cause of the blast.

“Our colleagues are present on the ground and investigating the incident carefully,” Abdi said.

Saudi media outlet Al Arabiya reported that the explosion took place at a military base in Parchin, east of Tehran, hedging it may have been a gas explosion, but speculation on social media soon run rampant, with some claiming that the blast was the result of a power plant outage or a malfunction in the process of disposing of a large number of munitions.

In 2014, the military site was suspected to have been damaged by a fire or explosion but investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency were hampered by a lack of access.

In 2015, the IAEA concluded the following:

“A range of activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device were conducted in Iran prior to the end of 2003 as a coordinated effort, and some activities took place after 2003. The Agency also assesses that these activities did not advance beyond feasibility and scientific studies, and the acquisition of certain relevant technical competences and capabilities. The Agency has no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009.”