Mystery over ‘explosion’ at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site – Telegraph
Mystery over ‘explosion’ at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site – Telegraph.
Israeli and Iranian officials have both failed to explain the mystery of a reported explosion said to have rocked the notoriously impregnable Fordow nuclear site in Iran.
A report published on Right-wing news website WND on Friday, quoting a defected Iranian intelligence officer, claimed that a massive blast had ripped through the nuclear facility, buried deep within the guts of a large mountain.
The alleged blast was said to have erupted at 11.30am last Monday – on the eve of the Israeli election – partially destroyed the nuclear site and trapped 240 people underground. Tehran held Israel responsible, the report said.
More than a week later, the report is yet to be verified by a single independent source. If true, it would be the most significant attack on Iranian nuclear capabilities to date and could spark a fierce reaction from the Islamic State.
And yet on Sunday evening, Shamseddin Barbroudi, deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, assured Iranian reporters there had been no explosion at the nuclear facility whatsoever.
Earlier the same day, Avi Dichter, Israel’s home defence minister, had been unable to confirm the unsubstantiated reports but nonetheless, welcomed them. “Any explosion in Iran that doesn’t hurt people but hurts its assets is welcome,” he said.
Speaking privately, officials in Israel’s foreign ministry – known to have an extensive surveillance network monitoring Iran’s key nuclear sites – claimed they had no reliable intelligence of an explosion at Fordow.
One theory put forward by Shlomo Aronson, an expert in Israeli foreign security policy at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, is that Tehran had deliberately leaked false reports about a blast to prevent international inspectors from entering the site.
“They [Tehran] are more than capable of inventing such a story – although if it’s true, a damaged Fordow would definitely benefit Israel,” Mr Aronson conceded.
“Israel would do anything within its power to stop the Iranian nuclear programme. This includes tactics that fall just short of, or substitute, a direct attack, such as the cyber war that has been raging for the past few years or acts of sabotage on Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
Buried 300 feet underground, the nuclear fortress at Fordow is immune to air strikes or bunker bombs. It contains more than 2,700 centrifuges enriching uranium to more than 20 per cent.
Tehran has repeatedly blamed Israel for a string of explosive disasters that have hit Iranian nuclear targets, including the death of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, one of Natanz’s top nuclear scientists, killed when his car exploded in January last year.
Whilst pleading ignorance of last Monday’s alleged blast, a senior Israeli official conceded that penetrating a fortified facility such as Fordow would be neither impossible nor without precedent for Israeli’s intelligence services.
“Anything man-made, we can penetrate,” one Israeli official told The Daily Telegraph.
WarSclerotic 
January 28, 2013 at 4:56 PM
”…and refused to comment on reports that Israeli aircraft were seen near the facility at the time of the explosion.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/massive-explosion-reported-at-irans-fordow-nuclear-facility-2013-1
January 28, 2013 at 4:57 PM
”The Fordow nuclear enrichment site is buried deep within a mountain and fortified to withstand attack. The only bomb believed capable of striking the facility and inflicting any real damage is the U.S. massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) bomb.
The 30,000 pound piece of ordnance was just certified ready to use by the Pentagon. ”
January 28, 2013 at 7:58 PM
this was obviously the test for the GBU 37 15000 pound bomb
January 28, 2013 at 4:58 PM
Of cource Israel does not have the aircraft to carry the MOP bomb
January 28, 2013 at 5:29 PM
Not yet….
January 28, 2013 at 6:04 PM
It wasnt anything like that.
January 28, 2013 at 6:14 PM
No it wasn’t…
More effective, plausible denyability, and no risk to our sons.
Let the US use their crazy bombs from their billion dollar bombers. There’s always a simpler, smarter way….
And, for all the fuss, I don’t believe Hizbalah is suicidal enough to start anything with Israel now.
No resupply from Iran via Syria anymore. What’s gone after the IAF is done is gone… Period.
Ha ha! Sorry Renbe, your bosses are (pardon my French) FUCKED !
January 28, 2013 at 6:36 PM
Indeed but the false reports of MOP and IAF jets are out, hense the reason I said the IAF donr have anything large enough to transport the 30,000 pound monster.
I seem to remember that Iran launched a complaint about a German company and claimed it had placed ‘devices’ inside components delivered to nuclear facilites 😉
January 28, 2013 at 5:32 PM
It’s interesting to note that the Pentagon refers to the new MOP as a ‘bridge weapon’. They say it bridges the gap between conventional weapons and nuclear weapons. Man, that’s one hell of a firecracker!
January 28, 2013 at 5:37 PM
14 tons of punch 🙂
January 28, 2013 at 5:41 PM
Lots of military movements today…
January 28, 2013 at 8:01 PM
You love understatement,i think some things happening right now,switch your phone and laptop off Renbe,
January 28, 2013 at 6:36 PM
“One theory put forward by Shlomo Aronson, an expert in Israeli foreign security policy at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, is that Tehran had deliberately leaked false reports about a blast to prevent international inspectors from entering the site.
“They [Tehran] are more than capable of inventing such a story – although if it’s true, a damaged Fordow would definitely benefit Israel,” Mr Aronson conceded.”
Dear Prof. Aaronson.
We can safely discount this theory.
If the Iranians themselves would spread false reports to prevent international inspections of the site, they would be the first to confirm the explosion.
This theory makes no sense.
January 28, 2013 at 6:59 PM
Shlomo Aronson is entering disinfo bussines with his theory, which is ok with us.
January 28, 2013 at 8:16 PM
I understand. lol
January 28, 2013 at 8:03 PM
Let’s play a funny little game.
Suppose the Iranians spread a false report to make the West think that we have more time because a good part of their nuclear infrastructure is destroyed.
What would the reaction of the western intelligence be?
They would vehemently deny it.
That was not the reaction we witnessed.
What would the Iranian reaction be?
They would try everything to convince us, that it did really happen.
That was not the reaction we witnessed.
What if they just want to discredit Mr. Khalili?
Then we would have a different reaction from Israeli officials and we would not have two newspapers independently confirming the story.
Who else could have a motive to spread intentionally false reports?
Mr. Khalili? No he is not stupid enough to do that and terminally destroy his reputation.
Mr. Khalili’s informant? Possible. If he would be desperate to make some bucks and tell anything to get some money. But then again, the reaction of the western intelligence would be different and the Iranians would show us live TV-footage from Fordow showing how Ahmadinemonkey visits the centrifuges and everything is normal.
The Israelis? What would they gain? Nothing. Quite the contrary. This would take pressure off Iran.
The Americans? Yes obavez could have a motive. To give the iimpression that there is now more time for diplomacy available because the Iranian nuclear program is badly damaged.
But if that where the case the American main stream media would be all over this story and it would be top news repeated 24/7 on all channels.
Which leaves me with the following conclusion.
The reactions of the players is not what I would expect if that was a false story and the circumstances of the story, the timing etc. also suggest otherwise.
January 28, 2013 at 8:51 PM
An instructive game, indeed. Anyhow, a huge disaster did happened into the Fordo mountain and, from the iranian point of view, there is nothing to do about it. The damage is catastrophic, it includes the centrifuges hall, the exit, the elevators; the Fordo installation is doomed.
The strong defence point of this installation is also its weakness:
being almost impenetrable from outside efforts, once you finished the entrances, the access in there is like zero possibility. If we are taking now the implosion which occurred there into consideration, we understand why this site with its personal is doomed.
January 28, 2013 at 11:06 PM
A brilliant demonstration of logical thought. That was a pleasure to read !
Not a single journalist in all the newspapers who tried to cover Fordow has been capable of reaching such a clear conclusion. Shame on them !
January 28, 2013 at 10:52 PM
Two different anectodes which happened at Fordo in September 2012 may indicate the preparation for the recent major strike:
1) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1,7340,L-4282169,00.html
2) http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/09/23/239705.html
January 28, 2013 at 11:24 PM
Good point !
At the time it seemed pointless to do something so benign…
My two favorite paragraphs from the first article :
“He told the IAEA’s annual assembly that power lines from the city of Qom to the underground Fordo plant had been blown up on August 17, and “the same act” had been carried out earlier on power lines to Iran’s main enrichment plant, near the town of Natanz.”
“Ynet’s military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai explained that the covert war against Iran – initiated by the US, Israel and Britain – is ongoing. He said the sabotage at Fordo has been confirmed and proves that Iran’s nuclear work can be stopped without the use of bunker buster bombs.”