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What are all these explosions?: A series of unusual explosions in Iran began in late June after a blast at the Parchin weapons depot near Tehran. This was followed by a fire at a north Tehran medical clinic that killed nineteen. Then on July 2, a heavy fire destroyed significant sections of the centrifuge assembly workshop at the Natanz nuclear facility. On July 4, an explosion reportedly damaged a power plant in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, while chlorine gas leaked at a petrochemical plant near the Bandar Imam Khomeini just 60 kilometers south of Ahvaz (RFE/RL).
On July 5, Iranian officials acknowledged the fire at the Natanz nuclear complex caused significant damage, setting the country’s nuclear program back by months (New YorkTimes). According to the New York Times, “A Middle Eastern intelligence official with knowledge of the episode said Israel was responsible for the attack… using a powerful bomb.” A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said an explosive was used. Al-Monitor pointed out that the “Middle Eastern intelligence” official may in fact be Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen (Al-Monitor). Avigdor Liberman, chair of Israel’s Yisrael Beitenu party, reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “to shut [the leaker’s] mouth,” an apparent reference to Cohen. Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on July 5, “Not every incident that transpires in Iran necessarily has something to do with us.” (Reuters) The following day, Israel launched a spy satellite into orbit (Times of Israel). Israel’s prime minister said the launch “very much increases our ability to act against Israel’s enemies, near and far alike. It greatly expands our ability to act on land, at sea, in the air and also in space.”
On July 6, intelligence officials and weapons experts said that the Natanz incident was probably an act of sabotage (Washington Post). The spokesman for Iran’s nuclear energy agency said Iran knows the cause of the explosions but could not provide details due to “security considerations.” On July 7, an explosion damaged a factory south of Tehran (Time of Israel). State media reported that two people were killed in a blast at the Sepahan Bresh factory. Kahrizak’s district governor blamed the explosion on oxygen tanks being filled at the factory. On July 10, another explosion shook Tehran in the middle of the night (New York Times). Though its exact location is unclear, the explosion reportedly caused power failures in two residential areas. Iranian officials are giving contradictory statements, with some even denying an explosion even took place (Twitter).
Soleimani death unlawful: On July 7, a UN human rights investigator called the January assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and nine others a violation of international law (Reuters). Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said the US “failed to provide sufficient evidence of an ongoing or imminent attack against its interests to justify the strike.” On July 8, the US State Department denounced the UN probe saying it gave “a pass to terrorists.” (Al Jazeera) Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters, “It takes a special kind of intellectual dishonesty to issue a report condemning the United States for acting in self-defense while whitewashing General Soleimani's notorious past as one of the world's deadliest terrorists.” On July 9, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected Callamard’s conclusions as "spurious." (RFE/RL)
Iraqi expert assassinated: On July 6, a prominent Iraqi expert on jihadi groups in the Middle East was shot dead in Baghdad (New York Times). Hisham al-Hashimi, 47, appeared frequently on Iraqi and western media and advised governments. The news of his death shocked many in the Middle East and in the West. Hashimi’s work antagonized the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as well as Iran-backed Shia militias such as Kataib Hezbollah, both of which had threatened him in recent weeks. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that no one was “above the law” and that his government would purse the killers and punish them. According to a close friend of Hashimi, he sought advice from him after receiving a disturbing message from Kataib Hezbollah (VOA). Many of Hashimi’s colleagues believe the Shia militia was behind his death. On July 8, the US secretary of state urged Iraq to hold account those responsible for killing Hashimi (Wall Street Journal). A day before Hashimi’s assassination, rockets were fired at US diplomatic and military installations (AP). Since October, the US diplomats and troops have been targeted by Iran-backed militias.
25-year agreement with China: On July 5, Iran’s foreign minister said the country was “negotiating a strategic 25-year accord with China” and will reveal the details once the deal is struck (AFP). He added that the accord was not a secret and was made public during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tehran in January 2016. China was Iran’s top crude exporter but has been sidelined by US sanctions. The details of the accord, an 18-page document prepared by the Iranian foreign ministry, was leaked (IranWire). According to IranWire, “If approved, the details of this plan in terms of the concessions given by Iran to a foreign country would be unprecedented in the Islamic Republic's 41-year history.”
 
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