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A military complex in Iran has reportedly been rocked by a huge blast.
11:54, Tue, Jan 27, 2026 Updated: 12:40, Tue, Jan 27, 2026
The nuclear site in Iran (Image: X)
A military complex in Iran has been rocked by a reported explosion amid reports Donald Trump has been weighing up a strike on the Islamic Republic. It is not yet known what caused the blast. Open Source Intel, which describes itself as a media monitoring service, reported an explosion on Tuesday at Parchin "military complex", citing journalist and Iranian political analyst Behnam Gholipour.
The unconfirmed report of an explosion comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where a US aircraft carrier group has arrived to lead any US military response to Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyers accompanying it provides the US with the ability to strike Iran. Gulf Arab states have already signalled they intend to stay out of any attack despite hosting American military personnel.
Iran analyst Behnam Gholipour says the military complex has exploded (Image: @beehnam/X)
The Parchin military complex has been at the centre of Iran's alleged development of nuclear weapons. The facility was reportedly targeted in Israeli airstrikes in June last year as part of wider efforts to attack Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump recently threatened military action over the killing of peaceful protesters or Tehran launching mass executions in the wake of the nationwide demonstrations.
Iran has threatened to drag the entire Middle East region into a war, though its air defences and military are still reeling after the June war launched by Israel.
But pressure on Iran's economy may spark fresh unrest as the prices of everyday goods slowly rise out of reach of many Iranians.
US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency put the latest death toll from the regime's brutal crackdown at 6,126 people, at least.
It identified the dead as including at least 5,777 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 86 children and 49 civilians who weren't demonstrating. The Agency said the crackdown has led to more than 41,800 arrests.
Tensions are running high in Iran amid a violent crackdown on protests and fears of US strikes (Image: Getty)
Tehran put the death toll at 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces. The rest were labelled as "terrorists" by the Islamic Republic.
The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations told a UN Security Council meeting on Monday that Mr Trump’s repeated threats to use military force against the country "are neither ambiguous nor misinterpreted".
Amir Saeid Iravani also repeated allegations that the US leader has incited violence by "armed terrorist groups" supported by the United States and Israel. He gave no evidence to support his claims.
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Iranian state media has tried to accuse forces abroad for the protests as the theocracy remains broadly unable to address the country's ailing economy, which is still squeezed by international sanctions, particularly over its nuclear program.
The protests, which began on December 28, were sparked by a fall in the Iranian currency, the rial. They quickly spread across the country and were met by a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy.
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