Tehran’s representative at the parliament Mohammad Esmail Kosari
An Iranian lawmaker confirmed on Tuesday that the explosions at one of the Revolutionary Guard’s bases in southeast Tehran on July 1 was sabotage.
Tehran’s representative at the parliament Mohammad Esmail Kosari -- who is a former commander of the IRGC’s Sarallah (Sar-Allah) Headquarters tasked with the capital’s security – tried to make the incident look unimportant in his remarks, saying the blasts were the result of “two very weak improvised explosive devices.”
Kosari did not mention possible injuries and casualties in the explosions, and Iranian official media and websites affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard have remained silent on the incident.
In a statement, the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) claimed the attack was carried out by “revolutionary cells”, a term it often uses to characterize anti-regime acts and protests in Iran.
"They [the MEK] use their local agents with promises. Anyway, it was Friday, which is a day off, they came at 9:00 p.m., made use of the darkness, carried out the act and took a video."
Videos surfaced on social media on Friday night showing fire and smoke billowing from the Malek Ashtar base of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s paramilitary force Basij militia.
Since May, there have been several attacks and mysterious incidents against Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) officers. One key commander was assassinated in Tehran on May 22 in broad daylight, while another was said to have fallen from the roof of his house and died a few days later. Iran has blamed Israel, in what has damaged the reputation of Iran’s intelligence and security organizations.