Iran reports explosion at plant that reportedly produces UAVs

At least nine people were injured in a blast on Sunday at a plant producing explosive materials in Iran’s central province of Isfahan, ISNA news agency reported.

The blast occurred at Sepahan Nargostar Chemical Industries at 4 a.m. local time (2330 GMT) due to “unclear reasons still being investigated,” said Mansour Shisheforoush, head of the province’s crisis management organization.

Nine factory workers were injured and transferred to the hospital, he added.

He said several investigative teams were at the scene to determine the cause of the blast.

The plant is located about 45 kilometers (just under 30 miles) northwest of Isfahan city.

Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

The company manufactures “industrial-commercial explosive materials” and was established in 1941, according to its website.

According to The Guardian, the plant produces drones.

The blast comes days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said a drone downed by the Israel Defense Forces earlier this week was launched by Iran and was armed with explosives. According to the premier, the drone was made by Iran and launched by Iranian forces toward Israel from either Syria or Iraq.

Netanyahu accused Iran of providing support and technical assistance to terror groups throughout the Middle East, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which receives most of its funding from Tehran, as well as Hamas, which also gets weapons and other help from the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Friday unveiled a new combat drone dubbed “Gaza” in a tribute to Palestinians, the force’s official website reported, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terror groups took effect. It was not immediately clear where the drone was manufactured.

The drone was named as “an eternal honor for those who today in (Gaza) stand against the Zionists’ invasion and aggression,” Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami said at the unveiling event, quoted by Sepah News.