Report: Explosion rocks Iran city of Isfahan, home to key nuclear facility
Semi-official Fars news agency says blast heard distinctly in several parts of the western Iran city; a uranium conversion plant near Isfahan went online in 2004.
By Yossi Melman and Reuters Tags: Iran threat Iran nuclearAn explosion rocked the western Iranian city of Isfahan on Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, adding that the blast was heard in several parts of the city.
According to reports, 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.
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Original report of blast in Iranian city of Isfahan as appeared on Fars website, Nov. 28, 2011. |
Speaking to an Iranian news website, the government of Isfahan said that the explosion occurred as a result of a military drill, denying reports that the blast was somehow related to the nearby nuclear facility.
"There is no such thing, the blast was entirely from the military maneuver," the Iranian official said.
The Isfahan uranium conversion plant operates under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and is frequented by its inspectors and surveyed by cameras that broadcast to the IAEA headquarters in Vienna.
Thus, had the explosion occurred at the nuclear site, the UN's nuclear watchdog would have known of the incident.
Speaking with Fars news agency earlier Monday, Isfahan’s deputy mayor initially confirmed the reports and said the authorities are investigating the matter. However, after the incident was reported in Israel, the report was taken off the Fars website.
It seems that city authorities and the Iranian government were embarrassed by the reports of a blasts, releasing contradictory versions of the alleged events. One example is a statement given by the same deputy mayor to the Mehr news agency, saying he had no reports of an explosion.
Another confirmation came from the head of the city's judiciary, who said an explosion-like sound was heard. Meanwhile, the Mehr news agency reported there has been a blast at a petrol station near the city. Another report pointed to a training accident.
The reported incident occurred about two weeks after Gen. Hasan Tehrani Moghaddam was killed together with 20 other Guard members Nov. 12 at a military site outside Bidganeh village, 40 kilometers southwest of Tehran.
The Revolutionary Guard said the accidental explosion occurred while military personnel were transporting munitions.
It should be noted that Iran operates a uranium conversion plant near Isfahan, one with an important function in the chain of Iran's nuclear program.
It first 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: "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.
North Korea supplying Syria, Iran with prohibited nuclear technology, report says
IDF official: Iran explosion may delay Tehran's missile development track
Iran insists Israel not behind blast that killed missile expert
Earlier Monday, a top Israeli security official said that the recent explosion that rocked an Iranian missile base near Tehran could delay or stop further Iranian surface-to-surface missile development.
The official added, however that the Iranian nuclear program was continuing to gain ground, despite considerable international pressure and attempts to destabilize the Iranian regime.
קראו כתבה זו בעברית: איראן: פיצוץ עז החריד את העיר איספהאן
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Seems to be as good as any other explanation >-=-)
have accelerated its WMD program are cutting corners and making mistakes.
I am pro-Israel. I am keen on Israel's right to exist , grow , and be a country to be proud of. The Iranian people are not the Iranian mullahs. i do not wish them any harm. Stop the gloating that this was Mossad or any other clandestine group. We do not need more israeli haters spewing their vitriol. You want to think it was the Mossad then ok but keep your feelings within and thank Hashem spiritually. I dislike "in your face" tactics by anyone.
Hopefully these explosions keep Iran from developing weapons that would give them the confidence to attack. If they don't Israeli and Iranian civilians will pay the ultimate price.
station but no radiation effects so far may be as of yet its just the petrol explode at that gas station
Israeli strategies are a lot like the industrialist who has a vast amount of toxin he has to dispose of. Drop it in a stream and it will magically disappear.
The Brits had a fire at a research place in the 50s, and the US had a couple problems around the same time, 50s or 60s. The Russians had a huge disaster in the 1950s that was mostly covered up but was really bad. If the Iranians are on early generation research tech it is entirely plausible they'd have a problem, especially if they overpushed it because they were trying to hurry up the process past the design limits of the equipment. That was part of what happened in Britain as I recall. The Russians are helping them with some of the program, but not all, not sure who made most of the gear at the site in question. Someone said it could be a conventional rocket facility. I actually hope that is the case, for the people in the area. A brewed up reactor or nuclear materials research center would be no fun for anyone.
They want a nuke so we don't invade them. So we invade them before they get a nuke. War makes war. Peace makes peace.
Turn that POS into a parking lot.
Another one bites the dust. And another ones gone and another ones gone.
Iran has supported Hamas/Hezbollah and a range of other terrorist groups in their attempts to subvert Israel and the west in general. Their only real options is major terrorist strike on civilians will give west reason to attack or go conventional which again will give the west reason to attack. Catch 22. Their only real option is defensive but even that with Syria going down and the fact they have huge unloyal populations within due to their Islamist oppression, time is not on their side anymore. good play good play Netanyahu.
Israel and America are looking for a confrontation by force. I hope Iran will respond harshly if they find out that America and Israel were bwehind this.
are you crazy, you live in Haifa..which will be hit, More likely it is a work accident or their own people rebelling
isnt moshe a jewish name? what side are you on? unless your are not jewish....
I hope so too so that the US. can deal with that lunatic in Iran once and for all!
Gettin hot
the iranians are doing this themselfs, they got to get rid of this headache, they dont want to have anybody else destroy there nuclear program, so slowly they are destroying it themselves
Brick by brick Iran is going DOWN!
world must wake up and take the israeli threat seriously (if israel is behind this).
war is about to start.Sad.
And she goes BOOM BOOM and all I hear is BOOM BOOM.... famous kavkazi song
about your state of mind! Iran is DENYING that Israel is behind it! Come on Tony, get out of your small Kopenhagen horizon!
In 538 B.C. Persia, under King Cyrus the great, saved Jews, from Babylonian Captivity, it is written The Book of Ezra. In 614 A.D., Benjamin Tiberius, helped by the Persians, captured Jerusalem from the Romans. Why does Israel want to attack a people that has helped the Jews?
Both Persia and Egypt where once great peoples, but that was long before they were taken over by Islam.
Rather a people that is constantly threatening to do away with the Jews and don't think the Iranian Jews do have a good life, they are third class dimmies! Get real guy!
Israel should attempt to build friendship with powerful Iran rather than barking. Iran can smash the entire combined warship of the west within a matter of half hour and can destroy Israel's dimona nuke facility by raining down 10,0000 missiles at a time. Doesn't Israel get lesson from Hezbullah war? Israel must not pinch the tail of sleeping tiger Iran. If mistakenly Israel touch evens an inches soil of Iran then the entire Israel will be destroyed within a short time. Iran has no problem with Jews peoples but problem with Zionism. Iranian jews leading their lives with dignity and honor. So that Israel must get lesson from that and stop lecturing Iran as a threat. Today´s Iran, could be a great friend of Israel tomorrow.
All I have ever heard is the Iranian Leader threathening Israel. Tony, please let me ask you a simple question: Do you live under a rock?
Criminal Mossad is behind it.
bombings, assassinations have little effect
may be they were transporting crates of ammos ???? LOL
This could only be written by a Jihadist. Israel is the only thing that keeps the middle east from being overtaken by radical Islam.
What if Dr. Evil really exists and just shot his freakin' laserbeam towards a uranium factory??? No traces....
We know that there is more to come, much more ("we" is me and my cat, Poogie Woogie).
good , at least one orginization is doing something for the benefit of the world against one of the biggst threat since the nazi nation... say thank you people , first is the middle east second is europe , thierd is russia (they have an old argue with them , although now its not seen but revange will not be far from coming ) then the rest of the world . iran , have a great time, you are planned to have much more "special accations" like this one in the near future, untill israel will finally decideds to bomb your ass so hard you will cry for help - not before you will tell the world that "we are winning, we control israel bla bla bla...." arabs like arabs - nothin goes except power!
incident in iran ? turkey ?
By means of deception...etc. And if you think they work hard to protect Jewish people you will be surprised. War is only fun for the arms industry. They are not working to disarm a threat (as it never existed), they are working to provoke a war.
Iran should get used to explosions. There will be many more.
Naturaly, it will be blamed on Israel as per usual. it looks like not needed for Israel to bomb Iran just take out the Russian and Korean experts and let the local boys play with the matches when they are loading up the devise they will blow themselves to kingdom com. mazeltov to them. joseph theeboom
The radioactive skeletons in the Iranian Regime's Caliphate closet are experiencing spontaneous combustion due to the deliberate determination of Iran's leaders to pursue their evil agenda in the region and beyond.
The long awaited promise is being fulfilled. Civilized people rejoice with Israel. Bracha V'Hatzlacha.
as much i as admire mossad and idf, my guess is it's an accident. i'm from the ussr, and these things were all too common. an iran is many many notches below ussr, technologically it's a third-world country. a lot of yes men reporting progress to the leaders, while in reality everything is done through shortcuts. it's the nature of deictatorships. think china today and high speed rail. now, imagine iran with nuclear anything
Do it again, bigger. We love you Mossad and IDF and Godspeed.
it will officially be labelled an accident and Iran will have responded like a dud firework. You really think they want a War with Israel and the West? Or maybe like the numbskulls here you believe the speak that Israel's on it's own? You know how many countries including Arab countries wish to see Iran's nuclear bomb agenda torn to pieces?
If this is Mossad, then they seem to have found a way to delay Iran's weapons programe without Iran retaliating. The issue is: Is this enough? Will this stop Iran or just anger them? If Mossad know these attacks are just pin pricks, what is their real goal? Perhaps they want Iran to strike Israel, so that American can get involved, and crush Iran, so these attacks are just provocations to make the regime do something foolish.
Ever heard of the AMIA in Buenos Aires Argentine? and the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires?
Now this is seriously suspect. Maybe iranian counter intelligence isn't as good as they thought.
almost 18 CIA agents in Beirut and Tehran. considering you guys can't even find the ones in Israel, I would say they are doing pretty well.
no photos, no talk of trials. Nothng. In this case, I'll believe it when I see it.