Explosion Hits Iran-Turkey Gas Pipeline

A natural gas pipeline connecting Iran and Turkey was blown up late Monday in Turkey’s eastern province of Agri, Turkish energy minister Taner Yildiz said. (Reuters, 28 July)

The explosion halted the flow of gas, but the repairs are already underway. Turkish state pipeline operator Botas did not say when the flow would be resumed. There was also no claim of responsibility.

Israeli-sourced satellite imagery of Parchin explosion

Above: satellite imagery claimed by Israeli source to depict before and after 05OCT14 explosion at Parchin military compound

Israeli source Israel Defense has published satellite imagery claiming to depict aftermath evidence of 05OCT14 explosion at Parchin military compound.

According to Ronen Solomon at Israel Defense:

Satellite images of the Parchin area, to the east of Tehran, prove: the explosion reported by the Iranian media had, indeed, occurred inside the military compound in Parchin, where, according to western intelligence agencies, trials are being conducted on nuclear missile fuzes. Satellite images obtained by Israel Defense and analyzed by specialist Ronen Solomon clearly show damage consistent with an attack against bunkers in a central locality within the military research complex at the Parchin military compound.

The locality in question is situated at the center of the compound, adjacent to another installation where, according to intelligence sources, the trials being conducted involve controlled detonation of fuzes intended to serve as triggers for nuclear devices. The locality consists of a sizable testing center and what appears to be an area with bunker-shaped structures. "Before and after" images indicate that a complete section of structures was simply eliminated by an unexplained explosion.

The explosion wiped several testing units off the face of the earth while inflicting collateral damage on adjacent buildings, with traces of fire clearly visible in a section located in a sparsely afforested area.

Previously, Iranian Students’ News Agency (IRNA) reported officials at Iran’s Defense Industries Organization (DIO) statement that two people were missing after a fire erupted at an "explosive materials production unit."

Now Israeli sources are claiming a link between the Parchin military site, the 05OCT14 explosion, "nuclear missile fuzes" and an "attack."

This event and subsequent Israeli claims take place leading up to and during a time of meeting between IAEA and Iranian officials in Tehran, and upcoming P5+1 nuclear negotiations set for next week in Vienna.

Above: Israeli-sourced imagery claimed by Israeli source to depict "area of impact" from 05OCT14 explosion at Parchin military compound.

Imagery: Israel Defense

Huge Explosion Rocked Tehran on Sunday

At Parchin Armaments Complex

An explosion rocked the Iranian capital on Sunday, with an enormous orange flash illuminating Tehran at around 11:15 p.m. local time.

Iran’s Defense Industries Organization officials said that two workers lost their lives as a result of fire and explosion at an “explosive material production unit” east of Tehran, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported.  

  

The Defense Industries Organization (DIO) is a conglomerate of companies run by Iran’s Ministry of Defense and provides the Iranian military with the manufacturing and technical capacity. The announcement of the incident coming from DIO indicates that the incident was defense industry related and happened at a military site.

Iranian website Salamnews reporting on the same incident said the explosion at the site was so intense that shattered the windows of buildings 15km (nine miles) away.

The BBC, quoting a pro-opposition website, said the huge blast occurred near Parchin military site located east of Tehran. Iranian official sources have denied that the explosion had taken place at Parchin.

Witnesses in east Tehran confirmed that windows have been shattered in the vicinity of Parchin, and all trees in a hundred yard radius of two nearby villages of Changi and Hammamak were burned. (The New York Times, 6 October)

Parchin is a major military armament production site.

File photo: Parchin armament production site, east of Tehran, where a huge explosion on Sunday night took place and rocked Tehran. (Photo: AP)

Blast in Bandar Imam Injures Several People

Iran’s semi-official news agency ILNA reported today that a large explosion in Bandar Imam Khomeini (‘Bandar Imam’) has injured several people. The blast occurred at port city’s Khamenei Road in front of Dolphin Hotel at 8:30 pm local time on Saturday, damaging cars and shattering windows of nearby buildings. The port is one of Iran’s major import and export terminals, located in oil-rich Khuzestan province. No one had yet claimed responsibility for the blast. 

File photo: A view of Bandar Imam (fanussahel.com) 

Satellite Photos Show No Damage to Iran’s Fordo Nuclear Site

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) today released Astrium commercial satellite imagery of Iran’s Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant taken on 22 January, a day after the website WND had claimed that the site was the target of a major explosion. The imagery (top photo) shows no exterior signs of an explosion or major damage. As ISIS experts have observed, there are no “intensified activity in the form of emergency or cleanup vehicles that one would expect to see around the site in the wake of an incident of this magnitude.”  (ISIS, 30 January)

During the last few days, Iranian, Israeli, and U.S. officials denied that sabotage or a major incident occurred and IAEA concurred.

Top photo: Satellite imagery of the Fordo fuel enrichment site from January 22nd, one day after the reported explosion that caused major damage to the site. The imagery shows no damage to the outside and no discernible signs of emergency vehicles or activity at the tunnel entrances. (ISIS)

Bottom photo: GeoEye imagery from Google Earth of the Fordo site two months before the alleged underground explosion at the site. (ISIS)

IAEA: No Sign of Explosion at Iran Nuclear Site

IAEA announced today it had seen no sign of any explosion at Fordo, Iran’s underground uranium enrichment facility. The report of explosion at Fordo originated by a rightwing website on Friday, citing information from a supposedly former Iranian intelligence officer turned CIA agent. On Sunday, the Times of London quoted unnamed Israeli sources as confirming the report of a major explosion at Fordo. Yesterday, Iran denied that an explosion had occurred at its most sensitive nuclear site. Now IAEA backs up Iran’s denial. 

IAEA inspectors regularly visit Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordo, and the U.N. agency suggested in its statement today that they had been at the facility after the reports of an explosion there.

"We understand that Iran has denied that there has been an incident at Fordo. This is consistent with our observations," IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor told Reuters. (Reuters, 29 January)

The United States also said on Monday it did not believe the reports of an explosion at Fordo.

Fordo produces uranium enriched to 20 percent fissile purity.

Iran Denies Explosion at Fordo

Iran has denied reports of a major explosion at Fordo uranium enrichment plant near Qom. The Times of London yesterday quoted Israeli intelligence officials as confirming that a major explosion has rocked Fordo last week. International news agencies, however, have not been able to verify the report that originated at a right-wing website on Friday, citing information from a former Iranian intelligence officer.  

Iran's semi-official news agency ISNA quoted Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, a military commander, as saying: “I deny an explosion at the Fordo site.”

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) deputy director, Shamseddin Barbroudi, also denied the report of an explosion in Fordo. (IRNA/Reuters, 28 January)

File photo: Isfahan uranium processing plant, 2009 (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Explosion Halts Iran Gas Flow to Turkey, 28 Soldiers Wounded

A huge explosion in eastern Turkey blew up a pipeline carrying Iranian natural gas, halting the flow of gas and injuring 28 soldiers in the area. The explosion occurred on Thursday night, less than a week after gas flow was restarted following an attack on 8 October.

“Sabotage carried out late last night on the pipeline caused damage and triggered a fire. Twenty-eight soldiers on duty in the area were wounded,” said an official from the Agri governor's office. (Reuters, 19 October)

The soldiers were being treated in various local hospitals for minor injuries, burns and smoke inhalation, and the fire had been extinguished, Reuters reported.

Russia’s Gasprom is to increase its gas supplies to Turkey to offset the shortfall.The blast occurred in the area of Eleskirt, a town in Agri province.

UPDATE: The pipeline's repair was completed on Friday 26 October (Mehr News Agency). 

File photo: A section of Iran-Turkey gas pipeline (Reuters)