God works in mysterious ways. A huge explosion at about 11 p.m. Sunday Tehran time, shook the city, and every window within a 15-mile radius of a place called Parchin, broke. Parchin is 19 miles from Tehran. You may have heard of it. It’s a bone of contention in the negotiations with Iran. They don’t want to let anyone in.

The Shah built it decades ago as a munitions depot and manufacturing facility, where since then the Iranians have been building drones, missiles, and nuclear things that go boom in the night–more implosion than explosion, according to the Israelis, who were ignored when they said so, yet the UN’s nuclear watchdog suspects scientists in Parchin are working on nuclear weaponization. The explosion took place just a day before the UN team was to land in Iran to secure access to those sites. So the city rocked, windows in a 15-mile radius were shattered, trees in villages surrounding Parchin were flattened and burnt to a crisp, but only two people died. Hmmm. The Iranians told the world it was a chemical fire, and nothing serious. However, if you live in the neighborhood, we suggest you get one of those badges that measure exposure to radiation.

If you live in Israel or any other part of the world that objects to nuclear annihilation, heave a sigh of relief. If we are very lucky, we may just have earned a respite from a pending disaster, and the Iranians may have suffered a major setback. Life can be stranger than fiction, and fiction is so compelling… so who knows? After the JPMorgan Chase hack and other such escapades, it coulda been a hack…or a fortuitous accident…or a gift from God for the New Year.