Iran testing its first-ever nuclear bomb? Earthquake tremors spark ...

An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale was recorded in Iran's Semnan province on October 5 - amid the escalating conflict with Israel. The epicentre of the quake was reportedly around 10 kilometres beneath the surface and close to an Iranian nuclear power plant. The timing of the quake and its proximity to a nuclear facility has sparked massive speculations that Iran may have tested a nuclear bomb.

A gas flare is seen alongside an Iranian flag (REUTERS)

While the speculations have not been confirmed or denied by any Iranian official, a section of people have shared maps and graphs, explaining how it may be a nuclear event. According to one of the users, the tremors may be nuclear weapons at an underground bomb test site, or Iran may have faked a nuclear test using traditional weapons.

Another user wrote: “An 4.5 earthquake hit #Iran yesterday. Rumours are that it was a nuclear test. In Feb 2013 a earthquake in N Korea turned out to be a nuclear test. A Nov 2017 Iran earthquake was also dubbed as N test. Iran capable to gather enough fissile material in week's time. What's reality?”

It is to be noted that the West has accused Iran of pursuing a military nuclear programme for decades.

Meanwhile, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had said that a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities might not be much of a setback as its programme was "“far too advanced”, reported The Guardian.

The current political climate has also raised fears of a World War 3 in the country.

The decades-long conflict between Iran and Israel escalated when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,200 people. Since then, Israel vowed to retaliate and win.

From attacks on Gaza, Israel is now bombarding Lebanon with airstrikes. On Sunday, Israel attacked Beirut suburbs on the eve of the grim October 7 Hamas attack anniversary, while a separate strike earlier in the day on the town of Qamatiyeh southeast of Beirut killed six people, including three children. While Lebanon has reported more than 30 strikes overnight, the Israeli military said that about 130 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, reported AP.

In retaliation, Hezbollah attacked Israel's Haifa on Monday morning.

The fighting on the anniversary underscored militants’ resilience in the face of a devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza that has killed about 42,000 Palestinians, destroyed large areas, and displaced around 90 per cent of its population, reported AP.

(With inputs from agencies)

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