Explosion rocks military base west of Tehran

An explosion occurred at a military base west of the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, giving a few initial details. The student news agency ISNA quoted Alireza Janeh, head of security issues at the Tehran governor’s office, as saying: “The sound of this blast came from outside Tehran, to the west of the province ... it was in one of the military bases there.” The blast shattered the windows of residential neighborhoods in the western suburbs of Tehran, witnesses told AFP. It was heard in the city center. Fars news agency reported that there were deaths in the blast but did not specify a number. Hossein Garousi, a lawmaker from the area, said the blast occurred when “a large part of an ammunition depot exploded,” parliament's website reported. Garousi said a crisis committee has been set up to investigate the incident. The arms depot belongs to the elite Revolutionary Guards, according to a statement on their website, which did not give further details. Several other members of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission confirmed the report on the blast in Bidgoneh, saying that it took place at an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) base.