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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Iran explosion at Tehran military base | Iran explosion at Tehran military base |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A huge explosion has rocked a military base west of Iran's capital, Tehran, officials say. | |
| Several people were killed after the blast inside a Revolutionary Guards weapons depot, according to the semi-official Fars news agency, but this has not been confirmed. | |
| Windows in nearby buildings have been shattered and the blast was heard in central Tehran, 40 km (25 miles) away. | |
| A helicopter and ambulances have reportedly been sent to the scene. | |
| Local MP Hossein Garousi said "a large part of an ammunition depot exploded," parliament's website reported. | Local MP Hossein Garousi said "a large part of an ammunition depot exploded," parliament's website reported. |
| It is not clear what caused the explosion in the village of Bidganeh, near the city of Karaj. | |
| Economic force | |
| An elite military force, the Revolutionary Guard was set up shortly after the 1979 Iranian revolution to defend the country's Islamic system. | |
| It has since become a major military, political and economic force in Iran. | |
| The Revolutionary Guard has been targeted by UN sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran to halt uranium enrichment. | |
| There have been occasional unexplained explosions in Iran before. | |
| Eighteen people were killed in a blast at a Revolutionary Guards base in the north-western Lorestan province in October 2010. |