An explosion at a ballistic missile base near Tehran killed 17 people Nov. 12, including Brig. Gen. Hassan Moghaddam, reportedly the architect of the Iranian surface-to-surface missile (SSM) program and the developer of the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM). Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported the explosion as having occurred at a base in Bidganeh, near the town of Shahriar, some 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Tehran. This points directly to the location of a ballistic missile base where the 5th Raad missile brigade, which operates Shahab-3 MRBMs, is reportedly stationed. This is almost certainly the general location of the explosion site. The ballistic missile base in Bidganeh appears to contain a large missile storage complex, as well as numerous launch pads that are clearly visible by satellite. There have also been unconfirmed reports from Mujahideen-e-Khalq that further development of the Shahab missile is taking place in the base. Given the extensive size of the Iranian SSM network and the apparent lack of command facilities at the missile base, the presence of a reputed figure such as Moghaddam in the base is not routine. This increases the likelihood that special activity was taking place at the missile base — possibly another routine missile test, and perhaps even the testing of a new ballistic missile. Such missile tests often lead to deadly mishaps, and according to the Iranians, the explosion at the base resulted from an accident while troops were transferring munitions. But the tense geopolitical environment surrounding Iran's missile programs also makes sabotage or assassination plausible.
