A major explosion was reported at an eight-storey building in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas in Iran on Saturday. There were reports that a navy commander was targeted in the explosion, but Iranian media called them “completely false”.
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. Four people have reportedly died in the explosion, local media reported, although there is no official confirmation.
“Those injured in the incident are being transferred to hospital by emergency responders,” director general of crisis management in Hormozgan province, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, told IRNA news agency.
The explosion came at a tense moment for Iran after the US deployed an aircraft carrier group to the region amid escalating tensions.
It also came following Iran’s crackdown on the largest protests in three years and ongoing Western worries about its nuclear programme.
Over 30,000 people lost their lives after nationwide protests erupted in December over economic hardship.
Where is Bandar Abbas located?
The port of Bandar Abbas lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil. It is also known as the base of the naval headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
US reconnaissance drone flies over Persian Gulf
Days earlier, a US military P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew over Iranian airspace.
Expressing criticism, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “US, Israeli, and European leaders are exploiting Iran’s economic issues and inciting unrest to provide the public with means to divide the country.”
“If we act justly, the people will see it and will accept it, and under such conditions, no power can cripple a government, a society, or a nation that acts justly, fairly, and on the basis of rights,” he further said.
Iran army chief warns US, Israel against attack, says forces on high alert
Iranian army chief Amir Hatami has warned the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country’s forces were on high alert after Washington’s heavy military deployments in the Gulf.
“If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime,” Hatami said, according to IRNA, noting that Iran’s armed forces were “at full defensive and military readiness”.