Report: Mysterious blast in Iran's Isfahan damaged key nuclear site
London Times quotes Israel intelligence officials as saying that satellite images show this week's reported blast in Isfahan was 'no accident.'
By Yossi Melman Tags: Iran nuclear Iran threatA mysterious blast which reportedly rocked Isfahan in western Iran on Monday damaged a key nuclear facility in the city, the Times of London reported on Wednesday.
On Monday, Haaretz cited Iranian media as reporting that an explosion was heard near Isfahan, home to a uranium conversion plant operational since 2004.
 |
An aerial photograph showing Iran's uranium conversion facility just outside the city of Isfahan, March 30, 2005. |
| Photo by: AP |
According to reports by the semi-official Fars news agency, frightened residents called the fire department after the blast, forcing the city authorities to admit there had been an explosion. Residents reported that their windows shook from the explosion's force.
At first, Iranian officials denied the reports, with the governor of Isfahan later alleging that the blast was caused by an accident that had occurred during a nearby military drill.
 |
In a photo from 2009, Iranian technicians work at a facility producing uranium fuel for a planned heavy-water nuclear reactor, just outside the city of Isfahan. |
| Photo by: AP |
However, a report in the Times on Wednesday alleged that the blast had not been a military accident, and that the city's nuclear facility was damaged.
The report quotes Israeli intelligence officials who based their conclusion on updated satellite images showing smoke billowing from the direction of the conversion plant.
According to the Israeli sources, there was "no doubt" that the blast had damaged the nuclear facility, and that the explosion was not an "accident."
 |
Original report of blast in Iranian city of Isfahan as appeared on Fars website, Nov. 28, 2011. |
"This caused damage to the facilities in Isfahan, particularly to the elements we believe were involved in storage of raw materials," one source told the Sunday Times.
It must be noted that the Times report was not confirmed by any other source.
The Isfahan plant went into operation in 2004, taking uranium from mines and producing uranium fluoride gas, which then feeds the centrifuges that enrich the uranium.
Since 2004, thousands of kilograms of uranium flouride gas were stockpiled at Isfahan and subsequently sent to the enrichment plant in Natanz.
Commenting on the report of an explosion in Isfahan, U.S. State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said Monday, "We don't have any information at this time other than what we've seen in the press as well. But certainly we're looking into it."
"As you know, we're somewhat limited in our ability to glean information on the ground there, but we're certainly looking into it," Toner added.
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan said in a television interview on Tuesday that if Israel attacks Iran, it will be dragged into a regional war.
According to Dagan, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel. In that scenario, Syria may join in the fray, Dagan said on the television program “Uvda”.
More on Haaretz.com:
IDF freezes implementation of report calling for gender equality
Carlo Strenger / New anti-Semitism directed at Israel’s liberals
Errant projectiles explode near top IDF officer during army drill
Read this article in Hebrew: תמונות לוויין מעידות: המתקן הגרעיני באיספהאן נפגע בפיצוץ שלשום
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
This is not mysterious, this is likely the work of Western Intelligence, as part of their Iran, Pakistan, Syria warmongering. When you see something explained away as being caused by "a nearby military drill", you know you're being lied to, like in Iron Man. The insane war against Iran has already begun, this is a last ditch last ditch effort by the failing Pan-Lenninist Banksters.
The explosion could be an insider job, will continue horrifies Iran's nuclear facilities through out the country. Hopefully no civilians would get hurt! The Pandora Box has been opened. And if another nuclear plant explosion do occurred again, it would become cycle hard to stop, if it was deliberate action against the Islamic Republic of Iran!
This is a pre-cursor to an all out attack.
Global warming did it.
iran's paranoia must be unbearable.
"military drill"? more like fire fight with James Bond, but more israeli
why didn't their human shield protect them ? the fools!
Mysterious blast? lol yeah, what a mystery...
sounds like a laser beem from outerspace. hightech military operations from some country with laser technology.
sounds like a laser beem from outerspace. hightech military operations from some country with laser technology.
Who could be setting off these blasts? To answer that question, we have to determine which countries do not want to see a nuclear Iran. These include: Israel, the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the rest of the 'sans, all of Europe, Russia, China and Japan. I guess we can leave Tuvaloo and Haiti off of the list.
ask Robin ....
So that's where my bottle rocket landed
Explosion? What explosion? All reports of an explosion are lies. There were no explosions within a hundred miles of here.
my home was shaking like abelly dancer.
It really does exist!
Looks like U S Navy SEALS to me!
I hope he doesn't get caught, he's one of my favorites...
They're doing everything [Iran] possible to bring on nuclear catastrophe to not only the region, but the world.
if there was a explosion at the nuclear site the IAEA would have reported it . These "reports" are all hot air .
bang on israel, but watch your back
You can't run your political opinions on that basis. If we refused to believe one thing because another politician lied about something else, we would just freeze. Judge each incident or policy on its own merits. If you don't you have nowhere to turn each time.
It was a nuke test. Iran is ready!!!
LOL...don't they know better than to blow up their own facilities during a test?
I didn't see any explosion...or is it maaaybe someone is too embarrassed to talk about it and live up to all his hyperbolic talk of retaliation. Self preservation is such a pain.
Bring I Jack!
Has not picked up the paper lately. If this was an "attack" I don't know if this is the right direction. Any nation-state has the technology to make WMD. I really think the key issues are the leadership and the media. That's a problem easier said than solved, I know.
The was no explosion according to Iran. Even if there was explosion and it was a sabotage, then it must be good enough for Iran to sabotage the Zionist and American nuclear plants? Is this a fair game? Why Zionists are excited about this evil.
There is no right or wrong on these matters. Only national interests. Stop applying your personal morality to areas where it doesn't make any sense.
If the nuclear research was for peaceful means before then it certainly won't be in e future if this is indeed organised sabotage by the west or Israel. Perhaps this is what the west actually wants? Perhaps Iran should raise this at the UN once it has proof?
The united states buys all their oil from the Arabs even though they are the richest nation with oil yet they keep their reserves for their future and the next generation. On another angle why do they need nuclear technology when they are buying oil ??
the oil will run out sooner or later..... their own consumption of oil is high.... leaves less oil every year to sell. why shouldn't they learn nuclear technology? there is no morotorium on knowledge. Just because you say so, does not mean so..
Because they dont want us coming there and stealing there resources just like Afghanistan and Iraq.
Meanwhile the rest of the world continues to burn fossil fuels and add to global warming.
could it be that something just went wrong? People are so full of conspiracy theories that the obvious is often overlooked.
Chernobyl was not sabotage. Incompetence prevails.
nothing iran says is true
'Iran has never threatened Israel' - you have to be joking, they have been threatening to wipe Israel off the map for a while, not to mention their funding of terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon seeking to destroy Israel.
12,040? How do you know? Did you build them?
Just to improve your imagination....
The precedent has been set - feel free to sabotage anywhere, anytime - and no-one will be sympathetic when you get it back.
Well done to whomever, if indeed anyone, that was behind this. Iran cannot be trusted to have a Nuclear capability.
You do realize the US is the only country that has ever actually used nuclear weapons right...
? That the Israelis caused it? ? That it was sabotage by someone else and the Israelis knew about it? ? Why was the UK embassy attacked? ? Any conclusions by the Israelis on anything specific, or even a substantiated answer?
... hence the mayhem against Brits...
what's interesting to me is, all we get is the sunday times article (not an unusual way of getting information out, but who knows whose way - as usual). in any case, all it says is how some satellite images (whose?) are viewed by israeli officials, which isn't a nothing, but it isn't a big something either. any foregone conclusions here are bound to be wrong, exactly because they're foregone. plus there's the ususal possible conclusion by some that this kind of leaks /info /whatever it is are bound to mean something else than what is being said. that's not a given at all either, & it's actually more likely that the info the way it's conveyed is accurate. what is significant then is that a blast really occurred, was no accident, plus the telling iranian reactions to it. that, again, isn't telling that much, but it ain't telling nothing. that's how i think about it.