A rather large explosion hits Iranian missile base

[SamurAchzar]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4147290,00.html

Senior officer killed in Iran blast
Brigadier general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed in Saturday's explosion at military base that left at least 17 people dead
Dudi Cohen
Published: 11.12.11, 23:50 / Israel News


More details emerging following explosion near Tehran: A senior officer in Iran's weapons industry was killed in Saturday's blast outside Tehran, officials in the country said.

The officer, identified as Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, held a rank parallel to brigadier general in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, the Fars news agency said. He reportedly served as a researcher at a Tehran university and headed the "Jihad Self-Reliance" unit, mostly tasked with developing arms and missiles following the embargo imposed on Iran since 1979.

Related stories:
Did blast hit Iran missile base?
Iran blast: 17 killed in military base
Nasrallah warns of regional war if Iran, Syria attacked

Saturday's blast killed at least 17 people and wounded 16 others, some of them gravely. Earlier reports put the number of fatalities at 27, but a Revolutionary Guards spokesman said the numbers were inflated as result of a "fax error." The official apologized to the Iranian people for the supposed error.

'Missile base hit in blast'
Iranian officials said the explosion was an accident that took place while munitions were being moved inside the military base. However, according to opposition reports the base where the huge blast took place is home to a Revolutionary Guards missile unit and holds long-rang Shihab-3 missiles.

A former spokesman for the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK, in Washington, citing reliable sources inside Iran, said Saturday that the explosion hit the Modarres Garrison of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps west of Tehran. Alireza Jafarzadeh said the garrison belongs to the IGRC's missile unit and the blasts "resulted from the explosion of IRGC missiles."

Although Iranian reports did not refer to the possibility that the base was struck from the air, some assessments indicate that the explosion may have been the result of a military operation based on intelligence information.

Tehran Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said that a specialized team has been dispatched to the scene to examine the circumstances surrounding the blast.

Now we can either assume this is just an accident as Iranians claim, or we can think Israel is already at it. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the latter. Apparently Israel is quite adept at causing a disarray on the ground, before the first fighter emerges, as was the case in the bombing of the Syrian reactor (no air defenses managed to spot the airplanes).

 

[sandorski]

Probably an accident, but you never know. If it's the latter, it will be known soon I suspect.

edit: on second thought, we may never know whether a Strike has occurred.

 

[JEDIYoda]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4147290,00.html



Now we can either assume this is just an accident as Iranians claim, or we can think Israel is already at it. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the latter. Apparently Israel is quite adept at causing a disarray on the ground, before the first fighter emerges, as was the case in the bombing of the Syrian reactor (no air defenses managed to spot the airplanes).

wouldn`t surprise me a bit if Israel already had people in Iran....

 

[DrPizza]

Why the hell would Iran claim it was an accident if Israel did it?? That's just stupid.

 

[SamurAchzar]

Why the hell would Iran claim it was an accident if Israel did it?? That's just stupid.

Just like Syria initially denied the Israeli bombing: these regimes can not expose any weakness in front of their subordinates. They'll hold on admitting it's Israel for as long as possible, then when a cover up is no longer possible, they'll ramp up the anti Israeli rhetoric.

It's not the first time such a thing happened in Iran, there were similar "accidents" a year or two ago: http://closingvelocity.typepad.com/...utionary-guards-at-shahab-3-missile-base.html

Nearly one for one.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Remove the long range missile capability and there is no direct threat to Israel for any retaliation. This type of operation can be done on the ground and be easily treated to be a misdirection.

 

[piasabird]

A nuclear warhead does not have to be on a long range missle. It could be smuggled into Jordan or some nearby location or fired from a boat or a submarine. We have nuclear submarines so it is not impossible for Iran to build one. I could see a missle launcher on a fishing trauler.

I could also see some kind of infiltration unit getting inside a facility somehow and destroying it or damaging it from the inside. I am sure there are people inside Iran with views at odds with the current government. Plenty of students were demonstrating on the streets after the election, so there are probably a lot of angry relatives of murdered students.

 

[Rebel44]

A nuclear warhead does not have to be on a long range missle. It could be smuggled into Jordan or some nearby location or fired from a boat or a submarine. We have nuclear submarines so it is not impossible for Iran to build one. I could see a missle launcher on a fishing trauler.

Transportation on the ground would have very high risk of them being caught and losing that nuke.

Iranian ship enter mediteranean sea only rarely and when they do, they are under constant observation - preparing IRBM for launch would take so long that Isreal would be able to easily sink such ship before Iranians would be able to launch.

Also if Israel find out that Iran tried to nuke them, they could easily decide to launch nuclear strike against sites connected to Iranian nuclear program.

 

[SammyJr]

Awesome. Lets commit a million American troops to Israel's cause!

 

[Rebel44]

Awesome. Lets commit a million American troops to Israel's cause!

No need for boots on the ground, just bomb Iranian nuclear program to stone age.

 

[Nebor]

Awesome. Lets commit a million American bombs to Israel's cause!

Fixed. Haven't we learned that ME nations aren't worth "building" yet?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Any submarines in that area of the world are closely tracked by our ASW forces the moment the leave their pens

 

[woolfe9999]

If the Iranians aren't telling the truth, then my guess is this was a ground based covert op. An attack from the air seems implausible.

I wouldn't totally rule out US involvement if it was a ground based op.

 

[GrGr]

If the Iranians aren't telling the truth, then my guess is this was a ground based covert op. An attack from the air seems implausible.

I wouldn't totally rule out US involvement if it was a ground based op.

Israel and the US are already waging war on Iran. The only way Iran can save it's independence is to get nukes asap. Dealing with the US/Israel will only get them knives in the back as Saddam and Ghaddafi found out. l

 

[SamurAchzar]

Israel and the US are already waging war on Iran. The only way Iran can save it's independence is to get nukes asap. Dealing with the US/Israel will only get them knives in the back as Saddam and Ghaddafi found out. l

I don't recall Saddam ever dealing with Israel other than launching ballistic missiles on its cities, nor was Ghaddafi a friend of the Jewish people.
The only one really stabbed in the back was Mubarak, Obama saw to that.

Anyway, as your posts demonstrates, if we want to maintain American world hegemony depriving Iran of the ability to make nukes is paramount.

I'm glad we agree. You see, I will welcome any and every superiority Israel and USA can have in this region.
Now, of course I would expect you, as a radical Islam choir boy, to reject my views and celebrate the Iranian nuclear program that is a major stepping stone towards the annihilation of the Jewish people.

 

[GrGr]

I don't recall Saddam ever dealing with Israel other than launching ballistic missiles on its cities, nor was Ghaddafi a friend of the Jewish people.
The only one really stabbed in the back was Mubarak, Obama saw to that.

Anyway, as your posts demonstrates, if we want to maintain American world hegemony depriving Iran of the ability to make nukes is paramount.

I'm glad we agree. You see, I will welcome any and every superiority Israel and USA can have in this region.
Now, of course I would expect you, as a radical Islam choir boy, to reject my views and celebrate the Iranian nuclear program that is a major stepping stone towards the annihilation of the Jewish people.

Lol. Israel does not equal the "Jewish people" (that old Zionist canard is so boring yet so typical of Zionist tactics to make rational discussions impossible). Israel as the victim again. Poor little neighbourhood bully, everybody seems to be ganging up on him. It's his victims fault he behaves like he does, if only they would acknowledge his superiority in every way and salute him as the Boss. Then everybody would know their place in the world and he could rule as he saw fit. Hegemony is sweet if you are the bully isn't it, that is any nazis wet dream. Sieg Heil.

Israel - the rabid zionists to be precise - are already seeing to the annihilation of the Jewish people, and most all people on earth, by starting WWIII. Israel's relentless political machinations, corruption of politicians and media, war mongering, slaughtering and oppressing and torturing of Muslims, military invasions (using proxy armies like the US and NATO) etc etc will eventually exhaust the nation completely economically and morally. Total war always does. And when that day comes some insane latter day Netanyahu will press the button claiming that the Jewish people will be annihilated if he doesn't. That is a far larger danger to world peace than Iran, which is non-aggressive in comparison to Israel.

Honestly, I don't give a shit about the Zionist project. It is rotten to the core. I object to it because it is a dehumanizing, oppressive and racist regime that practices apartheid policies and ethnic cleansing. It divides people into Übermenschen, the Jews, and Untermenschen, the Palestinians and essentially everybody else, who have no rights apart those determined by the Übermenschen. And I am the Nazi for pointing those truths out? Ok, what does that make you then? I stand for respect between human beings and equal rights. You stand for Hegemony over others and oppression and ethnic cleansing. But I am the Nazi? Right. Sieg Heil.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I stand for respect between human beings and equal rights. You stand for Hegemony over others and oppression and ethnic cleansing. But I am the Nazi? Right. Sieg Heil.

Actually what you stand for is anything that supports your views that Israel is as monster and that allowing radical Muslims to acquire nuclear weapons will somehow level the playing field. Since you support the above then you also support the annihilation of Israel the country and Israel the Jewish people.

So tell us again how it feels to be so out of touch with reality???

 

[cubby1223]

Lol. Israel does not equal the "Jewish people" (that old Zionist canard is so boring yet so typical of Zionist tactics to make rational discussions impossible). Israel as the victim again. Poor little neighbourhood bully, everybody seems to be ganging up on him. It's his victims fault he behaves like he does, if only they would acknowledge his superiority in every way and salute him as the Boss. Then everybody would know their place in the world and he could rule as he saw fit. Hegemony is sweet if you are the bully isn't it, that is any nazis wet dream. Sieg Heil.

Israel - the rabid zionists to be precise - are already seeing to the annihilation of the Jewish people, and most all people on earth, by starting WWIII. Israel's relentless political machinations, corruption of politicians and media, war mongering, slaughtering and oppressing and torturing of Muslims, military invasions (using proxy armies like the US and NATO) etc etc will eventually exhaust the nation completely economically and morally. Total war always does. And when that day comes some insane latter day Netanyahu will press the button claiming that the Jewish people will be annihilated if he doesn't. That is a far larger danger to world peace than Iran, which is non-aggressive in comparison to Israel.

Honestly, I don't give a shit about the Zionist project. It is rotten to the core. I object to it because it is a dehumanizing, oppressive and racist regime that practices apartheid policies and ethnic cleansing. It divides people into Übermenschen, the Jews, and Untermenschen, the Palestinians and essentially everybody else, who have no rights apart those determined by the Übermenschen. And I am the Nazi for pointing those truths out? Ok, what does that make you then? I stand for respect between human beings and equal rights. You stand for Hegemony over others and oppression and ethnic cleansing. But I am the Nazi? Right. Sieg Heil.

Your comments are very enlightening! I never realized not wanting Iran to obtain nuclear weapons was considered ethnic cleansing! Learn something new every day.



You do realize that your opinions don't pass even a basic reality check, right? You are aware?

 

[Matt1970]

Wow, someone who hates Israel more than Lemon Law does.

 

[halik]

Why the hell would Iran claim it was an accident if Israel did it?? That's just stupid.

This. They blamed all the magnet bombing umm "accidents" on Israel. Same with stuxnet... it's in line with their narrative.