Iran - Massive blast reported at suspected Parchin nuke facility.

Iran - Massive blast reported at suspected Parchin nuke facility.(TOI).

Explosion shatters windows kilometers away from secretive Parchin site, believed to be part of Iran’s nuclear program.

A massive explosion on Sunday night reportedly ripped through Iran’s secretive Parchin facility, suspected to be part of the country’s controversial nuclear weapons program.

The BBC, citing a report from the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Monday that the incident happened in an “explosive materials production unit” at the site that is south-east of the capital Tehran.

According to ISNA the blast was so powerful it shattered windows up to 12 kilometers away and the glare from the explosion lit up the night sky.

Iran’s defense industries organisation reportedly said in a statement that two workers at the site lost their lives.

Parchin is known to be an explosive production facility but is also suspected as being a key element in Iran’s nuclear weapon development program.

The International Atomic Energy Authority has not been given access to the site since 2005 and experts believe the Iranians may be developing specialized explosives used to trigger nuclear weapons.