'Don't believe Iran blast was an accident'

A Western intelligence source told Time Magazine on Monday that he estimates that the Mossad was behind Saturday's explosion at an Iranian missile base near Tehran. "Don't believe the Iranians that it was an accident," the official said.

According to the Time report, the same anonymous source said that more sabotage is being planned to impede the Iranian ability to develop and deliver a nuclear weapon. "There are more bullets in the magazine," he said.

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Saturday's blast killed 17 people including Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, whose rank was equivalent to that of a brigadier general. He was described as one of the key figures in Iran's missile program. The Revolutionary Guards vowed to continue in Moqaddam's "path."

Google satellite photos of Iranian base

According to reports, the base stored Shahab-3 missiles and other surface-to-surface weapons. Iran claimed that the explosion was a result of an accident.

US blogger Richard Silverstein was the first to point a finger at the Mossad on Sunday. According to his blog, Tikun Olam, an Israeli official told him Israel's secret service and an Iranian dissident group were responsible for the blast.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he did not know the reason for the explosion. Asked by Israel Army Radio about the damage caused to Iran, he said Sunday "I don't know but the more the merrier."

Senior Iranian officer Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam was laid to rest together with seven other Revolutionary Guard men who died in Saturday's blast on Monday.

The service was attended by Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, IRGC Commander f Mohammad Ali Jafari and Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not attend the ceremony.

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