After weeks of mysterious fires and explosions, Iranian regime suspects Israeli sabotage

One month after the surprise announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel by U.S. President Donald Trump, officials in the Islamic Republic fear that fighting could be ongoing in a more covert fashion. 

For over two weeks now, a series of mysterious fires and explosions have been reported across the country of Iran, almost on a daily basis, and sometimes even two or three on the same day. 

Publicly, Iranian officials have blamed an aging gas infrastructure, misuse of natural gas containers, or gas-fired water heaters for many of the incidents - but privately, many fear that at least some of the explosions could be instigated by Israel, according to a report in the New York Times. 

Suspicion of Israeli involvement in the explosions is not a new development. At the beginning of July, The Independent Persian published an article noting that in the first eight days of the ceasefire, “a wave of explosions, fires, and the activation of defense systems in various parts of Iran has attracted public attention.” 

Another totally accidental gas explosion in Iran. This time the city of Rasht. It took out exactly one apartment and nothing else. How convenient! pic.twitter.com/Slu6xFsJA5

— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) July 20, 2025

That story noted that public opinion was already leaning in the direction of “covert operations by the Israeli army or Mossad on Iranian soil.” 

Already in the first few days following the ceasefire, the official government explanation for several of the explosions was “gas leaks,” despite the suspicious proximity of many of the sites to government infrastructure and IRGC facilities. 

At least four people were wounded after an explosion rocked a residential building in the central Iranian city of Qom on Tuesday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported, adding that the blast was likely caused by a water heater bursting. pic.twitter.com/cWBbPT7qbw

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 22, 2025

Similar fires and explosions over the next ten days received the same official explanation of “gas leak.” However, some Iranians noted odd coincidences, such as a blast in an unoccupied apartment building in Tehran, which led to the injury of seven people.

The reports about the explosion in government-affiliated press and the Tehran Fire Department statement provided no names or identification for those injured in the blast. 

Another fire, in a building in Tehran at the end of June was blamed on a similar accident, with locals telling the Independent Persian that the building apparently belonged to the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA), which has played a prominent role in countering recent protests and civil unrest related other the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. Hours later, Iranian media published news of the death of FARAJA deputy Mehdi Nemati. 

Another important official, Brig.-Gen. Gholamhossein Gheibparvar was announced unexpectedly to have died on July 15, with IRGC-affiliated media attributing the death to exposure to chemical agents during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. 

The state-owned Iranian Student News Agency wrote a contradictory report, stating that Gheibparvar had “endured intense physical and psychological pressure” as a result of the war with Israel, was admitted to a hospital shortly after the ceasefire in a comatose state, and died several days later. 

The Independent Persian noted in an article that a review of the deaths of several IRGC figures, government officials, and nuclear scientists over the past decade found similar official explanations. In each incident, it noted “the categorical denial of Israel's role in these cases by Tehran's official institutions.” 

According to the New York Times report, Iranian officials are fearful of publicly blaming Israel for any of the incidents, believing it would put pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic to respond openly.

The Israeli 'Operation Rising Lion' severely damaged most of Iran’s air defense systems, as well as eliminating between one-third to a half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. Officials fear that resuming the conflict could further weaken the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities. 

The lack of clarity by the Islamic Republic and the persistent use of the “gas leak” explanation has led to many Iranians to share messages on social media openly mocking the official messaging.

A regime-affiliated news agency, Tabnak, even ran a recent story with the headline, “Why do some people not believe the accidents were caused by gas leaks?” 

The article cited the CEO of the National Gas Company, who stated that "in a country with such a large number of gas subscribers, the occurrence of such accidents is inevitable and unfortunately it has always been, and its statistics have not changed these days.” 

Recently, pro-Israel social media accounts have also joined in the open mocking of the Iranian regime’s excuse, with one account claiming “tongue-in-cheek” that the IRGC has started interrogating propane canisters. 

IRGC has started interrogating propane and propane accessories suspected of being in the Mossad. pic.twitter.com/fxQWfUuB6p

— The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome (@TheMossadIL) July 14, 2025

The series of explosions and fires comes as the regime is facing an increasingly difficult situation.

Reports of power outages, water shortages, and a continuously declining currency have placed the Islamic Republic in dire straits, especially with the looming threat of the possible triggering of “snapback sanctions” by the E3 (Germany, France, and the United Kingdom) if Iran dues not reach a nuclear agreement with the E3 and the United States before the end of September.