A powerful explosion rocked a Revolutionary Guard missile base west of Tehran on Saturday, the blast at Bidgeneh village killed at least 17 people.
The base is home to the Fifth Raad Missile Brigade, which oversees Iran’s medium-range Shahab-3 ballistic missile.
Among those killed was Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, who held a rank parallel to brigadier general in the Revolutionary Guards. He is credited with the development of Iran’s missiles.
Iranian lawmaker Parviz Soroori ruled out sabotage: “No sabotage was involved in this incident. It has nothing to do with politics.”