Did Iran conduct an underground nuclear test on October 5?

Did Iran conduct an underground nuclear test on October 5? Iran will build a nuclear bomb anyway, and the US and Israel will have to occupy it not to let it happen.

Photo: Mehr News Agency by Мохаммадреза Аббаси, CC BY 4.0

Iran May Have Conducted an Underground Nuclear Explosion

An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in the desert of Iran's Semnan province at 10:45 a. m. on October 5, Iranian news agency Mehr reported. The US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the earthquake was only 10 kilometers below the ground. Iranian sources announced different number — 12 kilometers.

What puzzles experts most is that the earthquake had no early warning issued.

There are references to an Armenian seismic station that recorded only one tremor, although seismologists usually report multiple tremors in case of earthquakes. This suggests that there was an underground explosion.

At the same time, no one has ever conducted nuclear tests at a depth of ten kilometers. This is very costly. The usual depth for an underground nuclear explosions measures 2,400-3,000 meters. If we look at the map, we can see that the epicenter was located on a fault line, in an area with high seismic activity. Yet, if the goal was to hide radiation and other traces, then the depth looks quite suitable.

Let's just say that certain governments and regulatory agencies will definitely know whether this was a nuclear test or not.

Iran will build nuclear weapons, the moment has come

The situation in the region is on the brink of war due to Israeli attacks on Iranian proxy forces and the murders of Iranian generals.

The Cradle, citing its sources in Iran, claims that the possibility of conducting a nuclear test is indeed discussed at high levels. Syrian sources that spoke to the publication in September predicted that Iran would try to develop a powerful nuclear potential in response to Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Adviser to the country's supreme religious leader, Kamal Kharrazi, warned on Thursday, October 3, that Iran could be forced to develop nuclear weapons if Israel posed a threat to its existence.

"We have not made a decision to build a nuclear bomb (prohibited by fatwa), but if Iran's existence is threatened, we will have no choice but to change our military doctrine," he said.

How many nuclear bombs does Iran already have?

According to American intelligence officials and Western experts, Tehran is "on the verge of building a nuclear bomb." In 2015, Iran accepted restrictions on uranium enrichment in exchange for the move to ease Western sanctions, but Donald Trump canceled the deal after he took office as president.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, but it needs to raise the purity level fo 90 percent to be able to build a nuclear bomb. According to the official criteria of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the available nuclear material, if enriched, would be enough for two nuclear warheads.

Experts suggest that it may take Iran months and years to build a nuclear weapon, but who knows how many months have already passed? The Iranian earthquake in November 2017 was also called a nuclear test.

Most surprisingly, Israel is in no hurry to counterattack Iran in response to its missile attack on October 1. Many assume, though, that it will follow to target Iranian nuclear facilities in the first place.

The US and Israel need to occupy Iran to neutralise its nuclear weapons

The US invented the "axis of evil" to trigger a global nuclear arms race.

After the fall of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and almost Syria, it became clear to all that the only defensive weapon that the US could respect was nuclear weapon. Israel is an undeclared nuclear power. Iran will sooner or later become one too for the sake of parity. When this happens, the Middle East will find itself on a nuclear powder keg, given the permanent crisis in the region.

The West will not be able to solve the Iran issue easily since uranium enrichment centrifuges are hidden in caves in the mountainous terrain. Israel will have to invade Iran to ensure that the Iranians will never get nuclear weapons. Israel will not be able to do this alone — it will need USA's support. Yet, Iran is not like Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and the US has lost its former power.

To crown it all, the United States has clearly learned its lesson of the futility of occupation of other countries. Washington is no longer willing to do it again.

Details

Iran officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Turkey to the northwest and Iraq to the west, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Caspian Sea, and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a mostly Persian-ethnic population of almost 90 million in an area of 1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi), Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population. It is the sixth-largest country entirely in Asia and one of the world's most mountainous countries. Officially an Islamic republic, Iran has a Muslim-majority population. The country is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital, largest city and financial center.