Explosions in Iran sparked by failed bid to fit nuclear warhead on Shahab-3?

November 13, 2011 – TEHRAN – Brig. Hassan Moghadam, head of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) missile development and sections of its nuclear program, was killed in one of the two consecutive explosions that hit two IRGC bases 46 kilometers west of Tehran Saturday, Nov. 12. The official fatality figure is 32. Fourteen hours after explosions blasts could still be heard and fires raged. Debkafile’s exclusive sources report the bases are located in Malard, a town in the Shahryar district. The Moadarres facility was the first to be hit, while the second and bigger blast occurred at Amir-al-Mo’menin. Their force was such that the Iranian Red Crescent rushed 45 ambulances to the two facilities plus 23 buses converted to first-aid vehicles and a helicopter to evacuate the critically injured. However, only six rescue workers were given access to the Moadarres base and none were permitted to enter to enter Amir-al-Mo’menin because of the facility’s sensitivity. Fourteen hours after the explosions, the blasts continued and fires raged. Surrounding streets were closed and reporters kept away from the scene. Our sources report increasing evidence that the first explosion was caused by a failed effort to mount a nuclear warhead on a Shahab-3 intermediate-range missile. It was powerful enough to shatter windows and damage shops in Tehran. People gathering on street corners wondered if Israel had attacked Iran’s nuclear sites or destroyed Revolutionary Guards missile bases. They recalled Supreme Ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s threat Thursday, Nov. 10 to take the war to the streets of Tel Aviv if Tehran was attacked. IRGC spokesman, Brig. Ramedan Sharif, sharply denied what he said was speculation that the military base was linked to Iran’s nuclear program. “This blast is not related to any nuclear tests,” he said in response to widespread rumors. He insisted the explosion had occurred at an ammo store which was part of the Guards’ “self-sufficiency” system, a term they apply to their munitions plants and the factories manufacturing missile components. The Iranian authorities, after raising the fatality figure to 32, withheld information on the injured, most of which where transferred to IRGC rather than civilian hospitals. Some may have been foreign engineers or scientists whose presence Tehran is anxious to conceal. The Emergency Council which deals with extraordinary happenings liable to affect the regime’s stability met in emergency session Saturday night. –Debka 

Crisis more serious than media reporting: For the second time in four days, Iran has threatened to annihilate Israel. Sunday, Nov. 6, Tehran said four missiles would be enough to kill a million Israelis. Moscow has sold Iran the highly-advanced Avtobaza truck-mounted systems capable of jamming aircraft radar and the electronic guidance instruments of attacking missiles. The deal, announced in Moscow Tuesday, Oct. 25, substantially boosts Russian military assistance to the Islamic Republic, especially of defensive weaponry. The US and Israel suspect the Avotbaza jammers are only the first installment of the complete  ELINT-electronic signals system for disabling planes and missiles over the entire Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. -Debka excerpts