On Jan 16, an interior ministry official said that loud blasts due to thunderstorms were heard in several cities in western Iran. “After liaising with the relevant security and military agencies, it was determined that the sounds were caused by thunder and lightning and no special incident occurred,” Majid Mirahmadi told the state news agency. It is also speculated that the Iranian military was holding unannounced air defense drills amid growing adversities over Iran’s nuclear program with Israel and the United States.
