September 19, 2007 -- Dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian soldiers were killed in an explosion while conducting a top-secret experiment - providing new evidence that the two countries are working together to develop weapons of mass destruction, it was reported yesterday.

The blast occurred while the joint Syrian-Iranian team was trying to mount a chemical warhead on a Scud missile, spreading lethal agents - including deadly Sarin and mustard gas - into the air.

The July 23 accident occurred at a factory in northern Syria, 50 miles from the Turkish border, created for the purpose of adapting ballistic missiles to carry chemical weapons, Jane's Magazine reported.

A fire that started in the missile's engine led to an explosion near a storage facility for chemical substances, the British-based magazine reported on its Web site.

This summer's accident confirms that Iran, which has been trying to develop its own nuclear weapons, is working with its Mideast ally to secure warheads capable of inflicting widespread destruction...