<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
State television said the explosion occurred at an eight-storey building, \u201cdestroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops\u201d in the area of Moallem Boulevard in the city. Rescue and firefighting teams were on site to provide assistance, it added.<\/p>\n Local fire chief Mohammad Amin Lyaghat said that the explosion was caused by a gas leak.<\/p>\n \u201cThe initial cause of the building accident in Bandar Abbas was a gas leak and buildup, leading to an explosion. This is the initial theory,\u201d said, in comments broadcast on state television.<\/p>\n The official IRNA<\/em> news agency quoted the Director General of Crisis Management in Hormozgan province, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, as saying, \u201cThose injured in the incident are being transferred to hospital by emergency responders.\u201d<\/p>\n Two Israeli officials told Reuters<\/em> that Israel was not involved in Saturday\u2019s blasts.<\/p>\n Images carried by state TV showed the building\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The explosion came at a tense moment for Iran after the United States deployed <\/a>an aircraft carrier group to the region following bellicose rhetoric from President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n