Iranian earthquake sparks debate over potential nuclear testing - report

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake allegedly struck Aradan, the Semnan province in northern Iran, on October 5,the US Goloigcal Survey reported last Wednesday, fueling speculations of a possible nuclear test. 

The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, a quake that was felt in Tehran, located around 110 kilometers awa. According to reports, aftershocks were felt in Israel. 

As such, Twitter/X users speculated that the occurrence was not an earthquake but rather a nuclear test, whereby Iran allegedly used test bombs 10 km below the surface in order to ensure minimum radiation exposure, which then resulted in an earthquake identified by seismographs.

Users wrote that a similar occurrence happened in North Korea in 2013 when an earthquake reportedly turned out to be a nuclear test. 

Iran has gone nuclear since last night.They used the test bombs 10 km below the surface near Semnan to ensure minimum radiation exposure and it resulted in a 4.6 scale earthquake which was recorded by seismographs.#iran #khamenai #nuclear #israel pic.twitter.com/bssDFYwdQ5

— akhilesh kumar (@akumar92) October 6, 2024

 A report by The Economic Times wrote that nuclear experts cautioned against these speculations and that while nuclear tests can trigger seismic events, the nature of the October 5 earthquake raised doubts. For example, Iran's fortified nuclear facilities and the earthquake's shallow depth complicate the notion of nuclear detonation, The Economic Times noted. 

Reports in recent weeks, following Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel, have speculated that Israel may retaliate by striking Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Israel is not expected to attack Iran’s nuclear program but rather focus on various kinds of military bases and intelligence sites, The Jerusalem Post has learned, following a New York Times report on the issue.

Despite being presented with the idea that the current context could be a once-in-50-years opportunity to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, sources indicated that attacking Iran’s nuclear program would not necessarily be consistent with the “goals of the war” as set by the security cabinet.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.