Tehran brushes aside three mysterious explosions
Three mysterious incidents, linked by explosions – at least two of them at secretive nuclear and weapons facilities – have rocked Iran in the past week. All three have been reported by Iranian media with various excuses about how they are less serious than they appear, that they are being investigated and that there is no major story to tell.
On June 25, a massive explosion, seen far away in Tehran, burned a hillside near a missile complex at Khojir. On June 30, a medical center suffered a fire in Tehran, killing at least 18 people. And on July 2, an incident at the Natanz enrichment facility was mentioned by the country’s official media, without elaboration. Officials claimed only a shed was damaged. In each case, officials appeared to try to get ahead of the story by obfuscating about the seriousness of the incident or why it took place at a sensitive facility.
This leads to key questions about why so many explosions or incidents have affected key aspects of Iran’s military-industrial complex. Rumors posted on social media and elsewhere online have suggested not only a cover up but also allegations of a “cyberattack” or other
of all three members of a special ministerial committee that was required to approve the renovations, including then-justice minister Ayelet Shaked, then-culture minister Miri Regev and the late religious services minister David Azoulay, who objected to the project.
Despite this setback, Netanyahu forced through the approval of the renovation by the government, but then needed to obtain planning permission for the construction