Iran denies Israel was behind the blast
Leader of the Islamic Rev
olution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences to the families of the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who lost their lives in a recent explosion at a military base.
The bloody event at an IRGC base which led to the martyrdom of a number of the prominent members of the organization, particularly Brigadier General Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, was a bitter and sad occurrence, said the supreme leader in a message on Wednesday.
“The martyrs never wavered in the face of danger, and they never succumbed to fatigue during the sacred war [imposed by Iraq against Iran in the 1980s],” the Leader added.
His eminence stated that the passing of great men is a regretful loss in any country.
The explosion happened on Saturday when a munitions depot caught fire at the IRGC base in Bidgeneh village -- located on the outskirts of Shahryar city and about 35 kilometers (21 miles) west of Tehran. A total of 17 IRGC forces, including Brigadier General Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, were killed and 16 others were seriously injured in the explosion.
The IRGC announced that the explosion occurred as the troops were moving munitions inside the barracks.
Addressing reports claiming that the Mossad was behind the blast, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said they were "myths."
At a memorial service for the 17 fatalities of the blast, Larijani told the Fars news agency that "these accidents always happen in big countries."
Iranian armed forces chief of staff Hassan Firouzabadi also denied that Israel was behind the blast.
"This recent incident and blast has no link to Israel or America but the outcome of the research, of which the incident happened as a consequence, could be a strong smack to the mouth of Israel and its occupying regime," he told ISNA.
Israeli officials refrained from reacting to news of the blast but Defense Minister Ehud Barak did tell Army Radio that while he had no idea what caused the blast he hoped it was the first of many.
