London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Is Iran under attack? Six curious incidents prompt theory that it might be

Iranian authorities initially dismissed them as accidents but now there are claims that the country's enemies could be involved.

There have been six curious incidents over the past couple of weeks in Iran.

On the face of it, they are unconnected. But as conspiracy theories abound, what do we actually know? Could they be attacks? Who could be behind them and why?


What happened?


26 June: An explosion at a weapons depot in Parchin near Tehran. Hours later, 600 miles south in Shiraz, the power went out.

30 June: An explosion killed 19 people at a medical clinic in central Tehran.

2 July: An 'incident' was reported by Iranian media at the Natanz nuclear facility.

3 July: A huge fire in Shiraz, the same town hit by the power outage days earlier.

4 July: A fire at a power station in Ahvaz in southern Iran.


What do we know about each incident?


The Parchin attack


The explosion took place early on the morning of 26 June. Footage captured by locals showed a huge arc-like explosion lighting up the sky.

The Iranian defence ministry claimed it was the consequence of a "gas storage facility" leak at the Parchin military base.

Iranian media was given access to a site showing a small hole in a gas tank inconsistent with the images of a huge explosion.

Open-source satellite images released by the weekend showed a large burnt patch of land. It was not located within the military base, as Iran had claimed, but next to it, at a missile production facility in Khojir.

Days later, Kuwait's al Jarida newspaper quoted a "senior security source" saying that the attack was carried out by an Israeli F-35 stealth fighter jet.

Officials from the Israeli prime minister's office and the Israeli Defence Force both declined to comment.

The Khojir missile complex, part of the wider Parchin military zone, is understood to contain a research, development and manufacturing facility.

Parchin was visited by nuclear inspectors in 2015 after renovations to the facility prompted international suspicion of nuclear activity.


Shiraz power outage


Six-hundred miles to the south of Parchin, at almost the same time, a power cut hit the city of Shiraz.

Shiraz is home to a major air base and the Iranian military's 55th Airborne Brigade.

No explanation has been given for the cut.



Tehran clinic explosion


Nineteen people died on 30 June after an explosion at the Sina Athar clinic in Tehran.

State media showed extensive damage, with injured people stretchered to ambulances.

Iranian media said the explosion was the result of a gas leak.


Natanz enrichment facility 'incident'


The explosion happened at about 2am on 2 July.

Reports of an incident at the nuclear enrichment facility first emerged from Iranian state media eight hours later.

State media was given a tour of the facility the same afternoon.

A spokesman for the country's Atomic Energy Organisation confirmed minor damage and said there was no risk of radioactive pollution.

The New York Times then quoted an unnamed Middle Eastern intelligence official as saying that "the blast was caused by an explosive device planted inside the facility. The explosion... destroyed much of the above-ground-parts of the facility".

Other reports have suggested the explosion might have been caused by a cyberattack. In 2010, high-speed centrifuges at the same facility were knocked out by the Stuxnet computer worm.

Experts have variously attributed the origin of Stuxnet virus to Israel and the US.

Natanz is at the centre of the Iranian nuclear programme and is on the International Atomic Energy Agency's list of nuclear sites of interest.

Some of the country's more sophisticated uranium enrichment centrifuges are thought to be assembled at Natanz.

Iranian officials have now conceded that significant damage was caused in the 2 July incident.


Fire in Shiraz


Social media video on Thursday night showed a large mysterious fire in the southern city of Shiraz.

Relying only on social media reports, it's thought the fire was in the Zargari area of the city.


Ahvaz power station fire


A fire knocked out a power station transformer in the southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday.

Al Arabiya TV quoted a firefighter as saying that one of the generators had exploded.

There is no known military or nuclear facility in Ahvaz.


Coincidental incidents or part of a coordinated attack?


Intriguingly, the Israeli foreign minister used a weekend conference to fuel speculation.

Asked about the incident in Natanz, Gabi Ashkenazi said: "We have a long-term policy... not to allow Iran to have nuclear abilities.

"This regime with those abilities is an existential threat to Israel... we take actions that are better left unsaid," the foreign minister said.

It follows a pattern by Israel of neither confirming nor denying involvement in attacks which take place frequently against Iranian targets in Syria and Iran.

Israel is increasingly concerned by what it sees as the growing danger posed by Iran's nuclear weapons programme and its attempt to supply regional proxies - such as Hezbollah in Lebanon - with precision-guided missiles.

Israel consistently lobbies Western allies to take the Iranian threat seriously.

In 2011, an explosion in Iran killed a key architect of the country's missile programme. It knocked Iran's nuclear programme back by several years and was attributed to Israel.

A UN arms embargo on Iran is due to expire in October. There is a broad diplomatic effort led by Saudi Arabia and the US, supported by Israel, to extend it.


What now?


Mr. Yossi Cohen has been promoted today for extended 6 months as the Mossad successful leader. This is a bold move that is more-likely to continue the Iran operation and the US election rather than just dealing with Jeffery Epstein snow-ball case (Clinton can easily take care of this small task instead).  On the other hand that will limit the ability for Mr. Cohen to replace PM Benjamin Netanyahu once Netanyahu will become the president - replacing Reuven 'Ruvi' Rivlin - next year. That will have a very strong impact on the whole "relationship" with Iran, as it's all based on very strong and personal relationship of Netanyahu&Cohen with Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS). As long as they are in power - Iran can do nothing but talking.

On Thursday, Iranian officials hinted that the Natanz incident was a cyberattack and "sabotage" by Iran's enemies. But they stopped short of accusing Israel or the US.

"If it is proven that our country has been targeted by a cyber attack, we will respond," civil defence chief Gholamreza Jalali told state TV.

Asked about the incidents at strategic sites in Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters: "Clearly we can't get into that."

With Iran, the United States and Israel dealing with significant new spikes of coronavirus, it seems unlikely that any of them wants to be drawn into conflict.

But Iran now says that the incident at the Natanz facility caused significant damage, potentially setting back its production capability.

If the Iranian regime concludes formally that it was a cyber attack then they may want to be seen to respond in kind.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×