The recent wave of mysterious fires and explosions across Iran is attracting significant attention, leaving many Iranian citizens questioning the official explanations provided by the authorities, who attribute them to “routine accidents,” especially those explained as “gas leaks.”

According to reports coming from Iran, a series of explosions and fires has struck residential buildings, airports, and sites described as “commercial warehouses” in cities like Tehran, Karaj, Qom, Mashhad, and Tabriz. In all cases, government officials and state media have been quick to downplay the events, describing them as isolated incidents caused by routine factors, Iran International reported.

The latest explosion occurred in a residential complex in the city of Qom, injuring seven people. Photos from the scene showed extensive damage to apartments on the first and ground floors, as well as to nearby vehicles. Authorities attributed the explosion to a gas leak. On the same day, additional incidents were reported: explosions and a fire near Karaj; a fire at Mashhad Airport; a large explosion in a desert area near Semnan; an explosion in Tabriz; and a fire in a commercial building in central Tehran. Most of these incidents were not immediately explained. An official at the Civil Aviation Organization even claimed that the smoke at Mashhad Airport was due to a “planned burning of weeds.”

The government accuses the media of “media panic,” and Iranian officials insist that these are routine incidents, accusing the media of sowing and spreading unnecessary fear. Even minor events now trigger public concern. When a car caught fire on a highway in Tehran last Monday, some claimed it was an Israeli operation, similar to those carried out against Hezbollah vehicles—although no visible signs of an attack were found.

In a conversation with the Fars Iranian news agency, considered an official mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards, an anonymous source accused the “anti-revolutionary media and reports linked to Zionism” of linking natural events to war in order to cause panic. “People should not worry about this kind of news fabrication,” he said.

But with each explosion, more and more Iranians seem to be disregarding the official narrative—and asking tougher questions. “Every time something explodes, they say it’s a gas leak,” claimed one citizen. Others posted photos alongside mocking captions questioning the frequency of the events and the speed of official responses. After an explosion ten days ago in a residential tower in the Chitgar district of Tehran, someone joked: “Call the Tehran gas company now and someone will answer and say, ‘Hello, how can I help you?'”

According to Iran International, some claim that the regime may be deliberately turning a blind eye to Israeli involvement because official recognition of it would require a response and risk dragging the country back into war. Others see it in darker terms, comparing Iran to Lebanon and its growing vulnerability.

A resident of Tehran said: “We have reached a situation where suddenly smoke rises from Vanak (Square) at noon. Someone says it was an explosion, and someone else says it’s nothing. But no one really asks what happened anymore; people are used to it.” Another resident added: “Tehran has become like Beirut: anything can explode at any moment, but life goes on as if nothing happened.”

Ynet quoted Dr. Chay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, who said that it’s possible that the Mossad is behind the mysterious explosions.

“The precision of some of these attacks—the fact that they’ve hit specific, sensitive locations—does resemble Mossad’s operational signature,” he said. “Yes, they did what they did in a very successful manner during the conflict, and I believe not all of those intelligence assets were exposed. It’s very likely that Israel continues to maintain capabilities on the ground.”

Yanarocak said these operations, if ongoing, are part of Israel’s longstanding intelligence doctrine. “Israel doesn’t rely solely on airpower,” he said. “Ground-level operations—targeted, quiet, surgical—are often more effective in shaping enemy behavior without triggering a wider war.”

“Israel is learning from these new threats. The reality is that asymmetric actors like the Houthis have changed the security equation. Intelligence and unconventional deterrence are now more critical than ever.”

However, Israel is not the Islamic Republic’s only enemy. Some believe that the sabotage is being committed by Afghan migrant workers, Ynet reported

“These are not isolated technical malfunctions,” said Dr. Nima Baheli, an Iranian political analyst. “There’s a pattern. These explosions are occurring with too much frequency and too much silence from the regime to be coincidental.”

Following the war with Israel in June, Iran forcibly deported thousands of undocumented Afghans, most of whom had worked in various industries in the country, including construction, infrastructure, and sensitive logistical roles.

Baheli believes that the Afghans are now taking revenge for their expulsion.

“These workers had access. They knew the locations, the systems, the blind spots,” he explained. “There’s a growing narrative among some circles that what we’re seeing now is a form of retaliatory sabotage, an internal actor striking back from within.”

Baheli noted that in previous conflicts, the Iranian regime suspected Afghans of collaborating with Israel. However, he believes that this time, the Afghans are motivated solely by revenge.

“What’s happening now seems less like collaboration with foreign intelligence and more like revenge,” he said. “These are people pushed out violently, stripped of rights, and humiliated. Their actions, if they are behind these incidents, reflect anger toward the Islamic Republic, not coordination with Israel.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)