Iran exile group claims blast near Tehran hit closely guarded missile base
November 12, 2011
Foreign Affairs Analyst and Iran Expert
By Associated Press, Published: November 12. 2011
WASHINGTON — An Iranian exile group claimed Saturday that a
blast near Tehran hit a missile base run by Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps, disputing the Iranian
government’s account that it occurred at an ammunition
depot.
Former Mujahedin-e Khalq spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh,
citing what he called reliable sources inside Iran, said
that the explosion hit the Modarres Garrison of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps west of Tehran. The group, also
known as the MEK, has in the past disclosed the sites of
several key Iranian nuclear installations as well as details
of their operations.
Jafarzadeh, now an author and commentator critical of
Tehran’s clerical regime, said the Modarres Garrison belongs
to the IGRC’s missile unit and the blasts “resulted from the
explosion of IRGC missiles.” He did not say what triggered
the explosion.
The blast comes just days after a new report by the U.N.’s
nuclear watchdog agency that Iran is conducting nuclear
weapons-related research and follows unconfirmed reports
that Israel was considering a military strike on Tehran’s
nuclear program.
Iranian officials said the blast was accidental and happened
when soldiers were moving ammunition at a depot west of
Tehran. Officials said 17 soldiers were killed.
Iran’s gas pipelines and military installations have been
hit by several mysterious blasts in recent years, and Tehran
has accused the West of engaging in a campaign of sabotage
and assassination against the regime. But an Iranian
lawmaker Saturday ruled out sabotage at the blast site.
Jafarzadeh has revealed Iran's terrorist network in Iraq and
its terror training camps since 2003. He first disclosed the
existence of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and the
Arak heavy water facility in August 2002.
