Explosions Shock Tehran After Cyberattacks Across Iran

JAKARTA - A huge explosion was heard in Tehran, Iran after a series of large-scale cyber attacks rocked the entire territory of Iran, according to Iran Fars News Agency.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Saturday, July 10, the head of the Tehran Fire Department said they had not received any reports of an explosion, Fars News reported.

However, the Tehran Fire Department reportedly clarified that fire and rescue teams had been dispatched to the area north of the Iranian capital.

Unconfirmed reports said the explosion occurred near a building inside Mellat Park, where the television and radio station run by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is based.

Hamidreza Goudarzi, Deputy Head of Security for Tehran Province, was quoted by Tasnim News affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards as saying the incident was being investigated.

It is not clear what caused the big explosion, and it is not known whether this event was linked to acts of terrorism or not. Iranian media reported that there were no casualties at the blast site.

The blast came hours after a large-scale cyberattack across Iran, with hackers posting the phone number of the country's supreme leader as a number to request information on train delays.

Last Friday, rail services in Iran were delayed by a cyberattack, with hackers posting the phone number of the country's supreme leader as a number to request information, state-affiliated news outlets reported.

Trains were delayed or canceled as ticket offices, national rail websites, and cargo services were disrupted, with unprecedented chaos at train stations across the country, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

A notice on an electronic board at the station asks travelers to call a number that actually belongs to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office, IRIB and the semi-official Fars news agency said.

"Long delay due to cyber attack," said another notice on the station board, Fars news agency wrote.

IRIB later quoted a spokeswoman for the state rail company, saying technicians were checking for interference and denied that there was a major delay.