Iranian military convoy rocked by mystery explosion
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have launched an urgent inquiry after a
mysterious explosion wrecked a military convoy in Tehran, killing at least
fifteen people and injuring scores more.
By Con Coughlin Daily Telegraph (UK) Last Updated: 6:53AM BST 25 Jul 2008
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/2455428/Iranian-military-convoy-rocked-by-mystery-explosion.html

The explosion took place in the Tehran suburb of Khavarshahar as the
military convoy left a munitions' warehouse controlled by the Revolutionary
Guards.

According to reports received by Western officials, the convoy was taking a
consignment of military equipment to Hizbollah, the Shia Muslim militia Iran
supports in southern Lebanon, when the explosion occurred.

Senior Revolutionary Guard commanders immediately imposed a news black-out
following the explosion, even though it could be heard throughout the
capital Tehran, and no details of the incident have so far appeared in the
Iranian media.

But Western officials yesterday said they had received reports that the
explosion took place in Tehran on July 19, and that the Revolutionary Guards
had launched an investigation into the causes of the blast.

"This was a massive explosion that was heard throughout Tehran," one
official told the Daily Telegraph. "Even though lots of people were killed
the Revolutionary Guards are trying to conceal what really happened."

Iran is believed to have recently stepped up arms shipments to Hizbollah in
preparation for any future armed confrontation with the West over its
controversial nuclear enrichment programme.

The Revolutionary Guards' investigation into last weekend's explosion is
understood to be looking into the possibility that it was caused by
sabotage. Iran has suffered a number of unexplained explosions in recent
months, including an explosion at a mosque in Shiraz, which had been holding
a military exhibition, and another incident at a missile site that killed
dozens of Iranian technicians.

Last month Seymour Hersh, the respected American investigative journalist,
reported that US President George W Bush had authorised up to $400 million
to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran to destabilise
the regime.