A massive explosion at a military weapons depot near the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday killed several people and was felt at least 45 km (30 miles) away, local media reported.
The Revolutionary Guards -- Iran's elite military force -- said a munitions store at a base in Bidganeh, near the city of Karaj, had exploded, according to a statement carried by the semi-official Fars news agency.
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"Around noon today there was an explosion in one of the arsenals belonging to the Revolutionary Guards near Tehran," Fars quoted the statement as saying. Several people had been killed, Fars said, without giving further details.
The blast was so big it was felt in western suburbs of Tehran, 45 km
away, witnesses told Reuters. Many assumed there had been a low-level
earthquake. Some media reports said the initial blast was followed by a
second explosion.
There were no reports linking the blast to any air strike or other
attack. Tension has risen in recent weeks between Iran and its enemies
Israel and the United States, which have not ruled out striking nuclear
facilities they believe are working towards making atomic weapons, a
charge Tehran denies.
An
October 2010 explosion that killed 18 people at a weapons depot in
western Iran near the city of Khoramabad was attributed to the Mossad by
French newspaper
Le Figaro.
Official Iranian reports stated that the 2010 explosion occurred after a fire broke out in a weapons depot.
Le Figaro also alleged that the explosion occurred at a secret missile
site for the long-range Shahab-3, capable of being modified to carry a
nuclear payload and striking Israel.