Description

On November 12, 2011, a large explosion was reported at a military base near the town of Bid Kaneh, approximately 40 km west of Tehran. Iranian news media reported that the explosion had occurred as a result of an accident while moving ammunitions from a depot located on the base belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), killing at least 17 of its members including Major General Hassan Moghaddam.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, former spokesman of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated that the explosion "resulted from the explosion of IRGC missiles" at the Modarres Garrison, an IRGC missile base. In obituaries following his death, IRGC members described General Moghaddam as the "architect" of Iran's missile program. General Moghaddam's brother, himself an IRGC officer, reportedly told Fars News Agency that the blast occurred during the final testing phase of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

On November 28, 2011, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) released satellite images taken before and after the explosion showing extensive damage to the buildings on the base. According to ISIS, "Iran was apparently performing a volatile procedure involving a missile engine at the site when the blast occurred."

Credibility:

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