Explosions in Iran: military base, nuclear infrastructure… what facilities are there in Isfahan?

So far nothing confirms that this was an Israeli attack. What is certain is that Iran reported three explosions that occurred very early this Friday morning in and around the central city of Isfahan. The IDF declined to comment, although the incident occurred less than a week after the Iranian attack on Israel, which itself followed the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria, attributed to Israel.

According to Iranian state media, cited by the Reuters news agency, these explosions occurred due to the actions of the Iranian air defense system, which was supposed to destroy three drones located over the city of Isfahan. Also, as reported by Reuters, an Iranian analyst said that these mini-drones may have come from inside the country itself, which no official has yet confirmed. Likewise, neither Tehran nor Tel Aviv has officially designated someone responsible for dispatching these drones.

“Important City”

However, Isfahan seems to have been chosen for a reason. As reported by the Guardian or the American news agency Associated Press (AP), the city is home to many important facilities, including factories related to the production of drones. “It is clear that the military base from which the drones attacked Israel was attacked this Friday morning,” cautiously notes Jonathan Piron, a historian specializing in Iran at the Etopia think tank in Brussels, Belgium).

According to this specialist, Isfahan is an “important city” where a “nuclear research center” is located. “This is a large city in the country, a historical city, which also has many sensitive sites, both in the city itself and in its immediate surroundings,” he summarizes, referring in particular to the “sensitive Natanz nuclear site” located in this region. , about one hundred kilometers north of the city of Isfahan.

This facility was repeatedly subjected to sabotage, in which Israel appeared. However, on Friday morning the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that “no damage” had been recorded at Iranian nuclear facilities.

Attack on a military base?

But for now, setting specific goals remains difficult. According to the Iranian Fars news agency, Iranian air defenses were activated near an army military base located northeast of Isfahan. According to the Guardian, it will be Shekari. Here, the AP adds, a fleet of American-designed F-14 Tomcats acquired before the 1979 Iranian revolution will be stationed.

Two more explosions were reported to have been heard on Friday in Kakhjavarestan, northeast of the city of Isfahan, and at the city’s airport, which is in close proximity.

Elizabeth Sheppard-Sellam, a lecturer at the University of Tours and a defense and security expert, said the attack was “very clearly targeted”. “You can also say: We (Israel) We didn’t touch nuclear bases, but we can touch them nearby “, she adds, recalling that the drone’s potential range “is not very long.” “Thus, either the launch was carried out inside Iran or from nearby borders. »