Explosions heard near the Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday have sparked alarm as the region is known to host nuclear facilities. Here’s what is known about the strategic military hub.
The country’s third-biggest city is known to house a range of drone and ballistic missile factories.
It also hosts a number of facilities that are part of the country’s civilian nuclear programme.
This may be why concerns were raised when three explosions were heard in Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport.
Blasts were also heard at the Shekari army airbase, Iranian media reported on Friday.
READ MORE: Why Israel has attacked Iran and could it lead to WW3?
But officials reportedly raced to “completely secure” the nuclear facilities as drones rained down on Iran.
While it is thought that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, there have been claims that the nation is trying to use its civilian nuclear programme to develop weapons of mass destruction. It denies these allegations.
One nuclear plant in the region is the Natanz uranium enrichment plant. It is the best-known nuclear facility in the wider region.
Another facility in the south-eastern Zardanjan area performs a process known as uranium conversion.
It operates three Chinese-supplied research reactors and also handles fuel production.
There is also an air force base at Isfahan airport, which is thought to house some of the Iranian military’s F-14 fighter jets.
An ammunition factory is located in central Isfahan, which Iran accused Israel of targeting with drones back in January 2023.
Now, the region appears to have come under attack again.
Iran’s army commander-in-chief Abdolrahim Mousavi said Friday’s explosions came from “the firing of anti-aircraft defence systems on a suspicious object”.
Hossein Dalirian, Iran’s space agency spokesman said “several” drones were “successfully shot down”.
But no Iranian officials have directly acknowledged the possibility that Israel had attacked, but regional tensions have been high since the Saturday assault on Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, two US officials confirmed to ABC News that Israeli weapons did hit a site in Iran.
Footage filmed by locals in Isfahan also appears to show missiles lighting up the sky.
Just hours before the explosions were heard, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN that Iran’s response if Israel took any further military action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level”.
He said: “In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level.”
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