Written by Hamideh Taati
Last night, a series of huge blasts were heard in Kermanshah, Hamedan, and Kurdistan provinces, Western Iran. People on social media described the blasts, which shook home, terrifying.
The Iranian regime did not initially report anything about the incident but after the news had already spread widely on social media, the state media started to disseminate contradicting statements. Saberin News, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said that the sound of the explosions was the result of a defense exercise.
Then, contradicting Saberin News, Saeed Ketabi, the governor of Assadabad in Hamedan province, confirmed the blasts but said that the cause was not clear.
Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, the spokesman for the Security Committee of the regime’s parliament, also said that he had contacted the relevant agencies but the reason for these explosions was still unknown.
IRGC-owned Fars News Agency quoted the governor of Assadabad County as saying that authorities are investigating the issue but there would be no report to make public. “Currently, all organizations are being investigated and we are in contact with everyone. Nothing has happened in the field of gas, emergency, or the fire department and the crisis management headquarters is following up, he added.”
The IRGC’s Quds Force affiliated Tasnim News Agency wrote: “An informed source in the Armed Forces denied the reports, saying that the sound had nothing to do with the activities of the Armed Forces or any defense systems being tested. He also denied some speculations on the internet that tied the blasts to sabotage operations and attacks by foreign countries, while stressing that there was lightning in the western part of the country.
According to the semi-official News Agency, ISNA, the political and security deputy of Hamedan governorate said that so far, the officials believe the source of last night’s explosion was related to some training procedures. Mehdi Babalhawaeji said: “Our investigations revealed that there had been no explosions in Hamedan Province. These happened in neighboring provinces. The governor has called the neighboring governors and they also said that there had been no explosions.”
A spokesperson of the Khatam al-Anbiya air defense base announced: “Last night, no training, exercises, and operational procedures were carried out in the integrated air defense network of the country, and all speculations in this regard are denied.”
This article was first published by ncr-iran
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