Was There An Explosion At Iran's Fordo Nuclear Site?

Well-protected: A graphic showing elements of the Fordow underground nuclear plant near Qom that are visible from the sky. Israeli sources say the facility suffered an explosion last week. Daily Mail

How Israeli Government Officials Fueled A Conspiracy Website Story About Iran -- Ali Gharib, Daily Beast

Here's an object lesson that shows just how far some press—and even Israeli government officials—have gone down the rabbit hole on Iran issues by propagating a story reported on a conspiracy website. The dubious tale goes like this: there was a huge explosion at Iran's main nuclear facility at Fordow, near the city of Qom, leaving hundreds of workers trapped in the underground facility. The facility is the source of much trepidation in Israel, where fears of insufficient military capabilities make the nuclear plant impenetrable to Israeli attack. The report came from a completely unreliable character writing for none other than World Net Daily, a website most famous for being the most prominent hub of the "Birther" conspiracy theory positing that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim and not American (among other conspiracy theories about the Obama administration). What's more, the story, thanks to a firm denial by American officials, reveals yet another rift between the Obama administration and Israel's government over Iran—a rift that can be laid nowhere except at the feet of overeager Israeli officials.

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More News On Reports That There Was An Explosion At Iran's Fordo Nuclear Site

'Blast' at Iranian nuclear facility -- The Australian/The Times
Ex-CIA man: Iran blast largest sabotage in decades -- Jerusalem Post
Report: Israelis confirm explosion at Fordow facility -- Jerusalem Post
Massive Explosion Reported At Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility -- Business Insider

U.S. does not believe media reports about blast at Iranian enrichment plant -- Reuters
US says Iran blast reports not credible -- AFP
US 'does not believe' reports about blast at Iran nuke plant -- YNet News
White House Shuts Down Rumors Of Iran Nuclear Plant Explosion -- Buzz Feed

Iran denies blast at Fordow site -- UPI
Iran Denies Explosion at Underground Uranium Facility -- Reuters/New York Times
Iran denies reports of explosion at Fordo nuclear site -- BBC
Iran Rejects Report of Blast at Nuclear Site as Propaganda -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Iran Denies Blast At Nuclear Plant, Israel Inisists It Happened, But Denies Involvement -- IBTimes

Mystery over ´explosion´ at Iran´s Fordow nuclear site -- The Telegraph
Was there an explosion at Iranian nuclear plant? Government denies reports of blast at top secret facility -- Daily Mail
Iran: Explosion At Fordow Uranium Enrichment Site? -- RT
Who spread reports of an 'explosion' at Iran's Fordow nuclear plant and why? -- Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz
Temper the Optimism About Fordow Blast -- Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary
Is Iran´s mystery nuclear explosion too good to be true? -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph