TEHRAN - Iran buried on Monday a senior military officer it called the "architect" of its missile defenses, killed in a massive explosion at a Revolutionary Guards' arms depot that authorities said was an accident.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended the ceremony for Brigadier General Hassan Moqaddam and the 16 other Revolutionary Guards who died in the explosion at their military base on Saturday. The blast was so big it was felt in the capital Tehran, some 45 km (28 miles) away.Officials said the accident happened as troops were moving munitions at the base west of Tehran and have denied suggestions that it may have been sabotage. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for better observance of safety standards at military sites.
