Explosion In Isfahan, Iran: If It's Not The Mossad, Is It From The Iranian Opposition? (Updated)

"At least 17 gas pipeline explosions have been reported since last year, compared with three in 2008 and 2009. At the same time, nearly a dozen major explosions have damaged refineries since 2010, but experts say it is complicated to determine the cause of such incidents."
Washington Post, Mysterious explosions pose dilemma for Iranian leaders

All the Washington Post had to do today was report on the upsurge in major explosions in Iran, and someone in Iran decided to oblige: Explosion rocks Iran city of Isfahan, home to key nuclear facility:

An explosion rocked the western Iranian city of Isfahan on Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, adding that the blast was heard in several parts of the city.


According to reports, frightened residents called the fire department after the blast, forcing the city authorities to admit there had been an explosion.

Iran has resorted to denying some of these explosions or giving some other explanation for what is happening--but has seemed to be reluctant to come right out and blame the Mossad or the CIA for the incidents.

The explanation that Michael Ledeen gave to the explosion 2 weeks ago is still valid.

Michael Ledeen credited the Iranian opposition with the attacks from 2 weeks ago:

These attacks on the Guards — the symbol of the regime’s intensifying repression and slaughter of the Iranian people — are part of a pattern that includes explosions at refineries and pipelines. At the same time, strikes have been spreading (and no wonder; up to 30,000 retired teachers have been waiting for their pensions for many months). In short, people have lost patience, and the smaller of the two explosions at the RG base was aimed at Major General Hasan Tehrani Moghaddam, one of the most brutal of the country’s military leaders.

Contrary to the inevitable suspicions of the thumb-suckers (the Americans did it! no, the Israelis did it! no, it was an accident!), the operation was planned and carried out by Iranians from the opposition-that-does-not-exist.  

They intended to demonstrate that no leader is safe from the people’s wrath (if that base can be penetrated, any place can, and if that man can be assassinated, anyone can), and that the opposition knows its gravediggers.[emphasis added]

If the source of these growing, and more daring attacks, is indeed internal, this only adds to Iran's problems--what with the re-emerging threat of an Israeli strike on Iran coupled with the growing pressure on Syria from Turkey and a mass rally against their Hezbollah puppets in Lebanon.

UPDATE: Michael Ledeen's analysis that the explosions are the result of attacks by the opposition is supported by J.E. Dyer:

Ledeen characterizes the series of recent explosions in Iran as a “war against the mullahs,” and at this point, that explanation has more going for it than the supposition that Iran’s nuclear weapons program is being attacked. The attacks – if that’s what they are – appear poorly designed, if the targets are components of the nuclear program.

Contrast this with The Telegraph, which cannot resist and jumps at the chance to blame Israel for the explosions in Iran:

Military analysts however said the intensity of the explosion suggested a targeted attempt at sabotaging Iran's nuclear-related missile development programme, most probably carried out by Mossad.

More on the explosion in Isfahan at Memeorandum

Technorati Tag: Iran and Isfahan.