Stop Fundamentalism – A Persian Language dissident website, Human Rights Activists for Democracy in Iran (hrdai.net) reported today that according to its sources in Iran, Saturday’s blasts in a Iranian Revolutionary Guards Force military base in southwest of Tehran, has left hundreds killed or injured.
One of the military personnel at the base who wanted to remain anonymous told HRDAI reporter that between 170 to 300 IRGC personnel have been badly injured or killed as a result of the blasts.
The IRGC base which is a major top secret ballistic missile site is 46 kilometers southwest of the Capital city of Tehran but the blasts were so strong they were felt by residents in the eastern part of the city. A major part of the military base was destroyed by the blasts.
The source said the dead bodies were carried away from the scene by helicopters.
While officials in Iran blame the blast to an explosion in an ammunition depot, sources say a missile had exploded unexpectedly. IRGC is well know historically for clumsiness and lack of order.
All roads to the compound where closed after the incident and even local residents were not allowed to go home.
IRGC public relations officially announced the number of killed to be 17 including a commanding officer of the force, Gen. Hasan Moghaddam. He was a commander at the missile unit of the IRGC for 20 years and had received expert training in China and North Korea. He was one of the top missile experts of IRGC.
Some observers believe that Moghaddam’s presence at the scene of the explosion may denote that the regime was planning to test or transport ballistic missiles.
