00:00A strong earthquake shakes Iran, and within minutes, social media explodes with a far
00:25more alarming claim. Was this just nature at work, or something far more dangerous?
00:33On February 1, 2026, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit Iran's Bashar province, home to the country's
00:43only operational nuclear power plant. And almost immediately, online speculation took over.
00:52Posts on X, formerly Twitter, began claiming this was not a natural earthquake, but a covert
00:59nuclear test. Users pointed to the location, the magnitude, and the fact that tremors were
01:06felt across parts of the region. One post claimed Iran had likely tested a nuclear weapon. Another
01:14highlighted that the quake occurred near the Bashar nuclear facility, fueling fears of a
01:20secret military experiment. This is not the first time such claims have surfaced.
01:27In October 2024, a smaller earthquake in Iran sparked nearly identical rumors, all of which
01:35were later debunked by scientists and international monitors. The pattern is familiar. A seismic
01:43event, rising geopolitical tensions, and social media filling the information gap with fear.
01:50And yes, the timing matters. Iran is rebuilding key nuclear sites after U.S. and Israeli strikes
01:59in 2025, including fortifying facilities like Natanz and Fordow deeper underground. Intelligence reports
02:08also suggest Iran possesses highly enriched uranium, up to 60 percent, enough that, if further processed,
02:16could be used for multiple nuclear weapons. Add to that U.S. military deployments, sharp warnings from
02:24Washington, and Iranian threats of war. And it's easy to see why suspicions spread fast. But here's what the science
02:33science actually says. International monitoring agencies, including the Comprehensive Nuclear
02:40Test Ban Treaty Organization and the U.S. Geological Survey, routinely distinguish earthquakes from nuclear
02:48explosions. Nuclear tests are extremely shallow, usually less than two kilometers deep, and they produce
02:56distinct seismic signatures. This earthquake originated at a depth between 10 and 18 kilometers, consistent
03:05with natural tectonic activity. Iran sits on one of the most active fault systems in the world, at the
03:12boundary of the Arabian and Eurasian Plates. In fact, more than 120 earthquakes were recorded in Iran in the week
03:21leading up to this event alone. And the Bashir nuclear plant is designed to withstand earthquakes up to
03:28magnitude 9, with no damage or radiation leaks.
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03:51Stay tuned!
03:52Stay tuned!
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