A blast ripped through the Imam Ali missile base at Shahid Modarres Garrison, 40 kilometers southwest of Tehran. The explosion was so powerful it was heard across the capital and registered as a 3.0 magnitude seismic event. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, visible for miles. State media initially called it an accident during a munitions transfer. Among the seventeen Revolutionary Guards members killed was General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the founder and commander of Iran’s missile and artillery units. He was reportedly in a key facility at the time, working on a new generation of missiles.
The event was a catastrophic setback for Iran’s strategic weapons development. Tehrani Moghaddam was not a line officer but a pivotal engineer and organizer. He had overseen the development of the Shahab series of medium-range ballistic missiles and was central to efforts to increase their range and accuracy. His death removed institutional knowledge and driving leadership at a critical time. The explosion also destroyed infrastructure and likely claimed other technical specialists. It forced a temporary halt to certain missile testing and development activities.
Official narratives insisted it was an accident. Many outside analysts and intelligence agencies suspected sabotage, possibly by Israel’s Mossad, which had conducted cyber attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. The method—whether a bomb, a cyber-triggered detonation, or a genuine accident—remains officially unconfirmed. The Iranian government’s swift damage control and refusal to allow independent investigation fueled speculation. The base’s function made the ‘accident’ story plausible; handling solid rocket fuel is notoriously dangerous.
The impact was a significant, if temporary, degradation of Iran’s missile program. It underscored the vulnerability of even heavily guarded military research sites. The event fits a pattern of mysterious setbacks for Iran’s strategic programs in that era, from Stuxnet to the assassinations of nuclear scientists. It did not stop Iran’s missile development, which continued apace, but it likely caused delays and forced a reorganization. The explosion serves as a obscure but potent example of the shadow war being waged over weapons technology, where a single day’s event in a remote desert base can alter a regional military balance.