Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Dec 24, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia’s 2025: A Pivotal Year of Global Engagement and Domestic Transformation
Saudi Arabia to Introduce Sugar-Content Based Tax on Sweetened Drinks from January 2026
Saudi Hotels Prepare for New Hospitality Roles as Alcohol Curbs Ease
Global Airports Forum Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Emergence as a Leading Aviation Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia Weighs Strategic Choice on Iran Amid Regional Turbulence
Not Only F-35s: Saudi Arabia to Gain Access to the World’s Most Sensitive Technology
Saudi Arabia Condemns Sydney Bondi Beach Shooting and Expresses Solidarity with Australia
Washington Watches Beijing–Riyadh Rapprochement as Strategic Balance Shifts
Saudi Arabia Urges Stronger Partnerships and Efficient Aid Delivery at OCHA Donor Support Meeting in Geneva
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Drives Measurable Lift in Global Reputation and Influence
Alcohol Policies Vary Widely Across Muslim-Majority Countries, With Many Permitting Consumption Under Specific Rules
Saudi Arabia Clarifies No Formal Ban on Photography at Holy Mosques for Hajj 2026
Libya and Saudi Arabia Sign Strategic MoU to Boost Telecommunications Cooperation
Elon Musk’s xAI Announces Landmark 500-Megawatt AI Data Center in Saudi Arabia
Israel Moves to Safeguard Regional Stability as F-35 Sales Debate Intensifies
Cardi B to Make Historic Saudi Arabia Debut at Soundstorm 2025 Festival
U.S. Democratic Lawmakers Raise National Security and Influence Concerns Over Paramount’s Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
Wall Street Analysts Clash With Riyadh Over Saudi Arabia’s Deficit Outlook
Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Cement $1 Trillion-Plus Deals in High-Profile White House Summit
Saudi Arabia Opens Alcohol Sales to Wealthy Non-Muslim Residents Under New Access Rules
U.S.–Saudi Rethink Deepens — Washington Moves Ahead Without Linking Riyadh to Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia and Israel Deprioritise Diplomacy: Normalisation No Longer a Middle-East Priority
Saudi Arabia Positions Itself as the Backbone of the Global AI Era
As Trump Deepens Ties with Saudi Arabia, Push for Israel Normalization Takes a Back Seat
Thai Food Village Debuts at Saudi Feast Food Festival 2025 Under Thai Commerce Minister Suphajee’s Lead
Saudi Arabia Sharpens Its Strategic Vision as Economic Transformation Enters New Phase
Saudi Arabia Projects $44 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2026 as Economy Rebalances
OPEC+ Unveils New Capacity-Based System to Anchor Future Oil Output Levels
Will Saudi Arabia End Up Bankrolling Israel’s Post-Ceasefire Order in Lebanon?
Saudi Arabia’s SAMAI Initiative Surpasses One-Million-Citizen Milestone in National AI Upskilling Drive
Saudi Arabia’s Specialty Coffee Market Set to Surge as Demand Soars and New Exhibition Drops in December
Saudi Arabia Moves to Open Two New Alcohol Stores for Foreigners Under Vision 2030 Reform
Saudi Arabia’s AI Ambitions Gain Momentum — but Water, Talent and Infrastructure Pose Major Hurdles
Tensions Surface in Trump-MBS Talks as Saudi Pushes Back on Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia Signals Major Maritime Crack-Down on Houthi Routes in Red Sea
Italy and Saudi Arabia Seal Over 20 Strategic Deals at Business Forum in Riyadh
COP30 Ends Without Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as US, Saudi Arabia and Russia Align in Obstruction Role
Saudi-Portuguese Economic Horizons Expand Through Strategic Business Council
DHL Commits $150 Million for Landmark Logistics Hub in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco Weighs Disposals Amid $10 Billion-Plus Asset Sales Discussion
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince for Major Defence and Investment Agreements
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Riyadh Metro Records Over One Hundred Million Journeys as Saudi Capital Accelerates Transit Era
Trump’s Grand Saudi Welcome Highlights U.S.–Riyadh Pivot as Israel Watches Warily
U.S. Set to Sell F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia in Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on U.S. Partnership in Strategic Move
Saudi Arabia Charts Tech and Nuclear Leap Under Crown Prince’s U.S. Visit
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally Amid Defense Deal
×