Iran Suffers Yet Another Fire at Tehran Industrial Site

Iran is investigating the cause of a large fire that erupted Tuesday in an industrial area just outside Tehran. According to the country’s state TV channel, firefighters managed to contain and extinguish the blaze within a few hours and there were no casualties in the incident. Iran has experienced a string of mysterious fires and explosions in several industrial and military sites in recent weeks, mostly in and around its capital. Authorities attributed a blast at a military complex in Parchin, 30 kilometers southeast of Tehran, to a gas leak, as they did subsequent explosions in Tehran city center and near the city of Ahvaz. Most notable was the blast that destroyed a significant portion of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Iranian officials admitted that the site suffered extensive damage, and several Western intelligence sources claimed the blast set the Iranian nuclear program back at least one year.