Iran: A nuclear test under containment or just an earthquake?
Increasing speculations on social media in recent days seems to indicate that an earthquake in Iran’s Semnan area may have been brought on by an underground nuclear test. A 4.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the city of Aradan on Saturday at 10:45 p.m. was recorded by the University of Tehran’s seismography centre, and vibrations were felt throughout eastern Tehran. The earthquake’s epicentre was 12 km below the surface, at 35.42° north and 52.78° east.
Social media users quickly believed that this earthquake may be linked to Tehran’s first nuclear test when the news came. Despite the country’s leader’s fatwa against nuclear weapons, the Iranian government has indicated that it may modify its military defence policy, including its nuclear capabilities, in view of mounting pressure.
A report published in 2019 from the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defence of Democracies indicated that Iran has started building underground nuclear testing facilities as part of a project known as the “Field Project,” which fuelled more rumours. It is alleged that non-nuclear explosive tests were conducted at these areas in 2003 close to Semnan. While the official Imam Khomeini space facility is located southeast of Semnan and is almost 100 kilometres distant from the epicentre of the earthquake, there are rumours that the province may have undeclared underground nuclear facilities.
Iran has always kept its nuclear programs under wraps, usually declining to report them to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is important to remember, too, that Iran is prone to earthquakes, so these kinds of motion are not rare.
The mystery surrounding Iran’s nuclear goals and the lack of transparency around its nuclear program are highlighted by this continuing discussion. Some contend that the earthquake is simply a natural tremor, as they have often done throughout Iran’s history, while others link it to a nuclear test.
