Mystery Explosion At Iran's Arak Heavy Water Plant?

There's a great deal of chatter from various sources about a mysterious explosion at Iran's heavy water plant in Arak late last week.The blast reportedly occurred during preparations for a test of the reactor with real nuclear fuel, and damage was said to be extensive.

The Arak plant is an important part of Iran's quest for nuclear weapons, as the heavy water reactor, known as IR-40, can be used to produce plutonium, an alternative route to centrifuges and enrichment for the production of nuclear weapons. The Arak plant has no non-military applications.

Iran had already informed the UN's IAEA that the test with real fuel would be the last stage before the reactor entered its beginning stages prior to going fully online. If the explosion occurred as reported, it appears that test may be delayed for quite some time.

The Iranians are said to be speculating that the cause of the blast could either be sabotage, a virus planted in the computers that run the facility, or miscalculation and/or inferior materials used in construction.

Needless to say, the Iranian regime is doing their best to keep any problems with their nuclear weapons program quiet. This particular story was leaked by dissident factions within Iran who've been right most of the time before. After all, they were the ones who busted the Ayatollahs for their illegal nuclear weapons program in the first place, not the CIA or other western intelligence outfits.