Satellite images show "a massive explosion at an IRGC missile research center"

Satellite images released by ImageSat Intel, an international intelligence consulting group, show that the explosion on October 25 at an IRGC research center caused severe damage to the building.

According to ImageSat Intel, the explosion occurred at the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group facility, which is a "secret missile base of the Revolutionary Guards."

ImageSat Intel says that the mysterious explosion at the aforementioned center shook western Tehran.

Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group is a subsidiary of the Aerospace Organization affiliated with the Ministry of Defense and Logistics and is a manufacturer of liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. The United States imposed sanctions on Hemmat Industrial Group in 2005.

After Iran tested the Simorgh satellite-carrying missile in 2017, the US Treasury Department sanctioned six companies under the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group.

The US Treasury Department had said that six subsidiaries of the "Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, namely Shahid Karimi Industries, Shahid Rastegar, Shahid Cheraghi, Shahid Varamini, Shahid Kalhor, and Amir al-Momenin, are active in the fields of research, development, and manufacturing of missile bodies, guidance systems, and liquid fuel."

Explosion at the IRGC Self-Sufficiency Research Center

On October 25, news agencies close to the Revolutionary Guard Corps reported, citing the force's public relations office, that during a "fire at one of the IRGC's self-sufficiency research centers," two of its employees, Morteza Karimi and Hossein Abedi, were killed and another was injured.

According to Fars and Tasnim news agencies, the “fire” occurred on Sunday evening, October 25. However, they did not release any details about the research center or the cause of the “fire,” only saying that “with the efforts of the center’s firefighters, the fire was contained and the injured were taken to the hospital.” The news that two of the injured had died came after the initial news of their transfer to the hospital.

In one of the deadliest explosions at the IRGC's missile bases in November 2011, Hassan Tehrani Moghadam, head of the IRGC's Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization and one of the founders of the IRGC's missile program, was killed.

A few days after this incident, the IRGC's Public Relations Department announced that 17 people were killed in an explosion at the Bidganeh-e-Malard military barracks located west of Tehran.

The deputy commander of the IRGC's Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization announced at the same time that "Major General Tehrani Moghadam was killed while conducting research and investigation work."

According to a Twitter report by ImageSat Intel on Thursday, October 29, satellite images from September 21 showed that the building of the center was intact, but images from October 25 (one day after the explosion) showed severe damage to the building and partial destruction.

These images indicate that the destruction of part of this building was caused by an explosion and not by "arson" as the Revolutionary Guard claims.

Satellite images show that the roof of the building was torn off after the explosion and its remains were scattered around.

Details about the cause of the explosion have not yet been released, but in recent years, fires and explosions in nuclear, security, and military centers in the Islamic Republic have become commonplace, and Islamic Republic officials have always pointed the finger of blame at Israel in this regard.

On July 2nd, Iranian media reported the thwarting of a drone attack on the Iranian centrifuge technology company, Tessa, in Karaj.

However, the intelligence agency Intellab announced, by publishing satellite images, that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's facilities in Karaj were damaged "during a drone attack on July 2nd."

However, the commanders of the Revolutionary Guard and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have remained silent this time and have not yet accused any group or country of involvement in the explosion.

Source: Radio Farda