Explosions reported in Iran | Euronews
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A powerful explosion rocked the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas earlier today. The blast occurred in an eight-story building, with parts of the lower floors severely damaged, while the windows throughout the entire building were shattered.
Hormozgan’s Crisis Management Organization, noting that investigations into the cause of the Bandar Abbas incident are ongoing, said that following the explosion in a residential complex, 14 people were injured and, tragically, a 4-year-old girl lost her life.
Some unofficial sources have claimed that Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, was the target of the incident. Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has denied these rumours as “completely false”.
Some domestic sources have attributed the incident to a gas leak, while local reports state that the building was not equipped with gas piping.
Other reports indicate that sounds of explosions were heard in other Iranian cities as well, including Ahvaz near the Iran–Iraq border. The Khuzestan Province’s Deputy for Security and Law Enforcement reportedfive people killed and two others injured following what he called “a domestic gas explosion” in Ahvaz.
Naval exercise reportedly postponed
This comes as the IRGC has announced plans to hold a naval drill in the waters of the Persian Gulf later this week, a move that prompted a response from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which urged the IRGC to avoid provocative behaviour at sea.
However, Al Mayadeen TV — a network close to Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran — reported on Saturday afternoon that the planned joint military exercise involving Iran, China, and Russia in the Strait of Hormuz has been called off, and that China and Russia will not be deploying any naval forces to the region, at least not until mid-February.
The local governor of Robat Karim county in Tehran province denied reports of a security or military incident in the cities of Parand and Robat Karim, saying that the smoke observed was caused by a fire in dry reed beds along the banks of the Shour River.
Over the past hour, videos showing a large plume of smoke near a residential area have circulated, which are said to be related to the city of Parand on Saturday.
This is a developing story and our journalists are updating it.
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