In spite of heavy damage caused to some Iranians nuclear facilities, Iran soon have enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb. According to Israeli experts, the main attack on the Parchin secret facility was caused by a “Kinetic Cyber” attack performed by an unknown force.
Cyber experts say that Cyber could be used in many ways and there are forces that “know all the methods”. Iranian officials first claimed that the huge blast was caused by a gas leak in the “public area” of the Parchin military base, where Iran had in the past been suspected of conducting high-explosive tests for nuclear warheads.
The gas storage area is part of the Khojir missile facility. The explosion caused heavy damage to the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which makes solid-propellant rockets, according to one analyst cited by the news agency. Large industrial buildings at the site visible from satellite photographs also suggest missile assembly being conducted there.
Last year, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said Iran overall has the largest underground facility program in the Middle East, which “supports most facets of Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities, including the operational force and the missile development and production program.”
Iran has said that the cause of the explosion, which sent a huge fireball over Tehran and charred wide areas of scrubland, is under investigation.
The last major blast at a missile base near Tehran in 2011, that killed Revolutionary Guard’s missile program chief Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, was initially described by officials as an accident although Israel was suspected.
According to the sources, the question is whether Israel will let that happen or will act to stop Iran in the last minute. Israel does not discuss its options relevant to the new situation but sources say that any sign of an Iranian intention to attack Israeli cities with ballistic missiles even with non-nuclear warheads would unleash massive actions that will damage Iran dramatically. Foreign press claim that the Israeli navy has on station one submarine in the Persian Gulf armed with “deadly weapons”
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-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
