Iran media highlights US fires in response to explosions at home

In trying to copy US reports about the fires in Iran, the Iranian media made the fires appear linked.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
A US Navy helicopter continues fighting a fire on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, in San Diego, California, US July 13, 2020 (photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE)
A US Navy helicopter continues fighting a fire on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, in San Diego, California, US July 13, 2020
(photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE)
In a bizarre twist in Iran’s response to a series of mysterious explosions and fires across the Islamic Republic, one of which affected the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, Iranian media has been running stories about fires across the US.
This seems to be the regime’s response to the press reports of fires across Iran. Their narrative is now to highlight fires in the US as if the phenomenon is either global or there is also some “mysterious” element causing those fires.

On Sunday, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency ran a front-page story about a steel plant that caught fire in the US. There is no evidence that Iran was behind the fire, but the idea was to sow confusion and distract from Iran’s own problems at home. Fars News also highlighted the fire at the steel plant.
In trying to copy US reports about the fires in Iran, the Iranian media made the fires appear linked. Fars mentioned another fire at a chemical plant in Georgia near an airport and fires at a power plant and a steel plant in Indiana. To cap it off, Fars reported about the fire on a US naval ship. The fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard was a serious destructive incident, but there is no evidence that Iran was behind it.
The Iranian media “fire” story likely is coordinated from the top and is aimed to replicate US media focus on the recent, mysterious Iranian explosions.