FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and Port of Bandar Abbas within the strait of Hormuz.
Nicolas Economou | Reuters
A minimum of one particular person was killed and 14 others injured in an explosion within the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, an area official instructed Iranian information businesses, however the reason for the blast was not identified.
The semi-official Tasnim information company stated that social media stories alleging {that a} Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been focused within the explosion had been “fully false.”
Iranian media stated the blast was beneath investigation however supplied no additional data. Iranian authorities couldn’t instantly be contacted for remark.
Individually, 4 folks had been killed after a fuel explosion within the metropolis of Ahvaz close to the Iraqi border, in keeping with state-run Tehran Instances. No additional data was instantly accessible.
Two Israeli officers instructed Reuters that Israel was not concerned in Saturday’s blasts, which got here amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests and over the nation’s nuclear programme.
The Pentagon didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Jan. 22 that an “armada” was heading towards Iran. A number of sources stated on Friday that Trump was weighing choices in opposition to Iran that embrace focused strikes on safety forces.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused U.S., Israeli and European leaders of exploiting Iran’s financial issues, inciting unrest and offering folks with the means to “tear the nation aside.”
Bandar Abbas, residence to Iran’s most necessary container port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a significant waterway between Iran and Oman, which handles a couple of fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.
The port suffered a significant explosion final April that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 folks. An investigative committee on the time blamed the blast on shortcomings in adherence to ideas of civil defence and safety.
Iran has been rocked by nationwide protests that erupted in December over financial hardship and have posed one of many hardest challenges to the nation’s clerical rulers.
A minimum of 5,000 folks had been killed within the protests, together with 500 members of the safety forces, an Iranian official instructed Reuters.
— This can be a creating story. Please test again for particulars.
