Speculation has continued on social media that the recent earthquake in Iran’s Semnan province may have been caused by Tehran’s first nuclear test. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.4, shook the city of Aradan and was felt in parts of eastern Tehran. Social media users have suggested that the earthquake may have been the result of an underground nuclear test conducted by the Tehran regime as a deterrent measure against potential attacks on its territory. However, the NorNews news website has dismissed these speculations as “rumours” and emphasized that nuclear testing contradicts Iran’s nuclear and defense doctrine.
Despite claims by officials that Iran would never conduct a nuclear test without announcing a change in policy, the existence of secret testing sites has been suggested. In 2019, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies released a report claiming that Iran had started a program to build underground nuclear testing sites, known as the “Field Project”. The researchers identified a likely location southeast of Semnan where non-nuclear explosives tests were conducted in 2003 as part of developing seismic methods for measuring the yield of an underground nuclear explosive, raising the possibility that the recent earthquake could be connected to Tehran’s first nuclear test.
While Iran has acknowledged the existence of the “Imam Khomeini” space center and missile headquarters southeast of Semnan, some social media users speculate that Iran may have an undeclared underground nuclear facility in the Semnan province. This has led to theories that Iran may be using undisclosed facilities for nuclear testing instead of well-known locations like Natanz. It is worth noting that Iran has consistently failed to disclose all of its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency and is prone to earthquakes, making the occurrence of tremors like the recent one in Semnan province relatively common.
In conclusion, the speculation surrounding the recent earthquake in Iran’s Semnan province continues to raise questions about the possibility of Tehran conducting its first nuclear test. While social media users have suggested connections between the earthquake and potential secret testing sites, Iranian officials have denied these claims and emphasized that such actions would contradict the country’s nuclear and defense doctrine. Despite these denials, the existence of undisclosed nuclear facilities and past reports of underground testing sites bolster the argument that Iran may be conducting secret nuclear tests. The earthquake highlights the ongoing uncertainty and speculation surrounding Iran’s nuclear activities and their potential impact on the region.
