Mysterious Boom In Iranian Industrial Zone Sparks Concerns

In the wake of a huge sound echoing through the industrial zone of Garmsar, officials claim the noise was merely the sonic boom produced by a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier.

In a bid to calm fears, the state news agency IRNA, citing an anonymous source, reported on Monday that the “terrifying sound experienced in Garmsar was a result of the breaking of the sound barrier by a fighter jet.” The incident unfolded at approximately 9:15 local time, with the audible disturbance reaching the airspace of Garmsar, it added.

While IRNA did not disclose the affiliation of the fighter jet, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) referred to the aircraft as "educational" without specifying its organizational ownership.

Ahmad Rivadeh, the political, security, and social deputy of the Semnan governor, stated that the sonic boom occurred during a training flight mission. “Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the incident,” he claimed.

Behnam Bakhtiyari, head of the industry and mining office in Garmsar, earlier confirmed the sound of an explosion but stressed that the cause remains unknown. However, Governor Reza Khani asserted that no explosions occurred in any part of the city.

Since mid-2020, a series of explosions and fires have plagued various Iranian military, nuclear, and industrial sites, including pipelines and refineries.

One year ago, a blaze engulfed an Iranian military industrial factory in Esfahan, with suspicions pointing towards a drone strike as the cause.

Although authorities have not offered exhaustive clarifications for the incidents, they have linked several prominent sabotage attacks on facilities to Israel.