Iran earthquake: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits Semnan, Iran, amid rising tensions with Israel

    A 5.2 magnitude earthquake jolted central Iran late Thursday, striking an area already on edge amid an intensifying conflict with Israel. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at 9:19 pm local time, with the epicentre located about 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Semnan — roughly 210 km (130.5 miles) east of Tehran — at a shallow depth of six miles (10 km). Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more surface damage, and even a magnitude 5 tremor can lead to significant destruction, especially in densely populated or poorly constructed areas.

 

No damage reported

No damage or casualties have been confirmed so far, according to Iranian media, though tremors were reportedly felt in the capital, Tehran. Semnan is also home to the Semnan Space Centre and a major missile complex operated by Iran’s military. This latest seismic event comes amid a volatile backdrop as Iran and Israel have continued missile exchanges since last Friday’s air assault on Tehran.

Iran has recorded several notable tremors in recent days, including a 4.2 magnitude quake near Kashmar in Razavi Khorasan Province on June 19, and another of the same magnitude near Borazjan in Bushehr Province on June 17. It also follows a 5.5 magnitude quake in southern Iran last month that claimed the lives of 35 people and injured 278 people.

The tremor adds to a growing atmosphere of uncertainty in the region as Iran and Israel continue to trade missile fire, following Israel Defence Forces’ deadly blitz targeting Tehran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure last Friday. The timing has raised alarm, especially after the UN nuclear watchdog chief warned of dire consequences should military operations target nuclear sites.

“Armed attack for nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked,” said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, addressing the UN Security Council just hours before the quake.

The attacks so far have caused a “sharp degradation to nuclear safety and security in Iran. Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur,” he said. His comments came a day after an Israeli military official walked back claims that the Bushehr nuclear power plant—built by Russia and stationed on Iran’s Gulf coast—had been struck. The official called the earlier statement a “mistake” but refused to confirm or deny whether the facility was hit. 

 

Pressure at fault lines

Iran sits atop a major fault line and is highly prone to seismic activity. The country lies at the convergence of the Arabian, Eurasian, and Indian tectonic plates—an area of intense geological instability, making it vulnerable to frequent and sometimes powerful earthquakes. The country experiences around 2,100 earthquakes annually, with 15 to 16 quakes typically measuring 5.0 or higher in magnitude.

In 2017, a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Iran’s mountainous western region near the Iraqi border, killing more than 530 people and injuring thousands. Across the border in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, the quake left nine dead and over 550 injured.