The New York Times: Mystery Deepens Around a Wave of Fires Across Iran Amid Mounting Domestic and Regional Tensions

2025-07-24 04:26:21

The New York Times has reported that three Iranian officials — including a member of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — suspect that a recent wave of fires and explosions across Iran may be the result of deliberate sabotage, despite the official silence and downplaying of the incidents in state media.

Over the past two weeks, fires and blasts have erupted in various locations across the country, affecting residential complexes, oil refineries, a major road near an international airport, and even a shoe factory. These incidents have raised public concern, particularly in light of the heightened tensions following Iran’s recent conflict with Israel and the United States in June.

While public statements by Iranian authorities have attributed the events to infrastructure failures and dismissed them as coincidences, private discussions among officials suggest growing alarm that a coordinated effort — potentially by internal or external actors — may be behind the pattern.