Iran is investigating a massive explosion that occurred on Friday at the Parchin military facility east of Tehran.
The Iranian Defense Ministry said on Friday that the blast was caused by an explosion in an industrial gas tank in a civilian area of Parchin. The fire was brought under control and the blast caused no casualties, ministry spokesman Davoud Abdi told Iranian state television, according to an Associated Press report.
The explosion, which sent a massive fireball into the sky, rattled Iran’s capital and lit up the horizon.
The gas-storage area is situated near Iran’s Khojir missile facility, which produces solid-propellant rockets, according to the report.
The site is known to be crucial for Iran’s development of missiles and munitions, and is where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has claimed Iran conducted nuclear-weapons-related tests two decades ago. Analysts believe that the site conceals an underground tunnel system and missile-production sites.
