At least one person was killed and 14 were injured in an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, a local official told Iranian news agencies, but the cause of the blast was not known.
State television said the explosion occurred at an eight-storey building, “destroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops” in the area of Moallem Boulevard in the city. Rescue and firefighting teams were on site to provide assistance, it added.
Local fire chief Mohammad Amin Lyaghat said that the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
“The initial cause of the building accident in Bandar Abbas was a gas leak and buildup, leading to an explosion. This is the initial theory,” said, in comments broadcast on state television.
The official IRNA news agency quoted the Director General of Crisis Management in Hormozgan province, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, as saying, “Those injured in the incident are being transferred to hospital by emergency responders.”
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday’s blasts.
Images carried by state TV showed the building’s facade blown out, exposing parts of its interior, with debris scattered around. Other Iranian outlets carried similar reports, also without providing details on the cause.
The explosion came at a tense moment for Iran after the United States deployed an aircraft carrier group to the region following bellicose rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the explosion were “completely false”.
Iranian media said the blast was under investigation but provided no further information. Iranian authorities could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Separately, four people were killed after a gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to state-run Tehran Times. No further information was immediately available.
