A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 occurred on Friday, June 20th, in the Semnan region of northern Iran. Tasnim News Agency reports that the earthquake occurred 27 kilometers southwest of Semnan. The earthquake occurred ten kilometers below the surface.
But now, the earthquake has sparked a flurry of conjecture regarding Tehran’s possible nuclear weapons testing. The fact that it hit close to a city with a space and missile complex has also raised concerns. It is reportedly home to Iran’s military’s Semnan Space Center and Semnan Missile Complex.
The earthquake comes as Israel and Iran enter the ninth day of their conflict, which is getting worse. A day after Tehran declared it would not engage in nuclear program negotiations while under threat and Europe attempted to salvage peace talks, Iran and Israel launched new attacks early on Saturday.
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Is the Iran Earthquake Due to Nuclear Test?
According to Iran’s news agency IRNA, there were only “minimal damage” and no casualties. Because of its location along the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt, which is where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, the war-torn nation is among the most seismically active in the world.
Iran typically receives 2,100 earthquakes a year, of which 15 to 16 are of magnitude 5.0 or higher. Between 2006 and 2015, the country experienced 96,000 earthquakes.
Underground explosions during nuclear activities can trigger earthquakes by releasing tectonic stress near the blast. However, seismologists can distinguish between explosions and natural earthquakes by studying the seismic waves. Seismic data suggests that the earthquake was a natural event.
According to expert analysis by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) and independent seismologists it is unlikely that the Iran earthquake is as a result of weapons
Further dismissing speculation about nuclear tests or military induced earthquakes.