MASSIVE EXPLOSION rocks gas storage facility near military & research site outside Tehran (VIDEOS)

A major explosion outside Tehran has triggered speculation of an attack against an army base or a research site, but the Iranian military says it was an incident at a gas storage facility.

The blast did not take place at a military site. Rather, between 11pm and midnight local time, a gas tank exploded in the “public area” nearby, Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Davoud Abdi told the media, adding that the blaze was quickly brought under control and there were no casualties. 

According to reports, the incident occurred in a non-residential area.

For hours, details of the incident remained a mystery, fueling speculation and conspiracy theories, as Iranian TV reported only that the authorities were “investigating the bright light and loud sound” near Tehran.

Rumors initially suggested the explosion took place at a power station in Sarkh Hasar, east of Tehran, and that similar explosions had taken place in Shiraz, in southern Iran, prompting further speculation of a cyber attack. 

Others suggested an explosion at an ammunition depot in Paradis, citing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chatter on the messaging app Telegram.

New York Times journalist Farnaz Fassihi cited reports that the explosion occurred in Parchin, “a military base where Iran has conducted nuclear activity."

Another clip shows a fireball briefly turning the night sky red.

A video shared by researcher Babak Taghvaee includes coordinates of a location in Paradis, where the explosion was filmed.

Others have said the blast was at Khojir, not Parchin, pointing to a missile production and testing facility there as the possible culprit.

The explosion was heard around 2am local time, just half an hour after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted about new US sanctions against Iran.

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