One person killed, 14 hurt in blast in Iranian port of Bandar Abbas
An aerial view of the Iranian shores and Port of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. Photo: Reuters
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.
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".
Rumor of IRGC Navy Commander's Assassination Proved False
Tasnim News Agency's investigation confirms that the rumor of IRGC commander’s assassination is entirely baseless. pic.twitter.com/jiz6UA3wi1Iranian media said the blast was being investigated but gave no further information. Iranian authorities could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Director General of Crisis Management of Hormozgan Province said: This incident involved an explosion at a residential house on Moallem Boulevard in Bandar Abbas.https://t.co/wYurukt2y5 pic.twitter.com/rpojgJOY0W
Separately, according to Mehr News Agency, a blast occurred at a four-unit residential complex in the Kianshahr neighborhood of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran, killing five people due to failure to observe safety precautions.
The Ahvaz Municipality Fire Department and Safety Services said the explosion was caused by a leak in the city's gas network.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday's blasts, which came amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests and over the country's nuclear programme.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
United States President Donald Trump said on January 22 an "armada" was heading toward Iran. Multiple sources said on Friday that Trump was weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces.
Read More: Iran president says US, Israel, Europe exploited unrest, economic woes
Earlier today, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused US, Israeli and European leaders of exploiting Iran's economic problems, inciting unrest and providing people with the means to "tear the nation apart”.
Pezeshkian also urged his government to heed public grievances after the demonstrations.
"We must work with the people and for the people and serve the people as much as possible," Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state TV.
"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."
Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's most important container port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman, which handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.
The port suffered a major explosion last April that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 people. An investigative committee at the time blamed the blast on shortcomings in adherence to principles of civil defence and security.
Iran has been rocked by nationwide protests that erupted in December over economic hardship and have posed one of the toughest challenges to the country's clerical rulers.
Iran's army chief warns US, Israel against attack
Separately, Iranian Army Chief Amir Hatami warned the US and Israel against an attack, saying his country's forces were on high alert following Washington's heavy military deployments in the Gulf.
He also insisted Tehran's nuclear expertise could not be eliminated, after Trump said he expected Tehran to seek a deal to avoid US strikes.
Also Read: Trump predicts Iran will seek deal
"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 the official IRNA news agency.
He noted that Iran's armed forces were "at full defensive and military readiness". Washington sent a naval strike group to the Middle East led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, with Trump threatening to intervene militarily in the two weeks of anti-government protests.
The deployment has raised fears of a possible direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies — notably Israel — in the event of an attack.
On Friday, Trump said he predicted that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal over its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face American military action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said earlier that Tehran was ready for nuclear talks, but its missiles and defence "will never be negotiated".
The US carried out strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites in June when it briefly joined Israel's 12-day war against its regional foe. Israeli attacks also hit military sites across the country and killed senior officers and top nuclear scientists.
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But Hatami insisted today that Iran's nuclear technology "cannot be eliminated, even if scientists and sons of this nation are martyred".
On Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would conduct "a two-day live-fire naval exercise" in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit hub for global energy supplies.
In a statement, Centcom warned the IRGC against "any unsafe and unprofessional behaviour near US forces".
The US designated the IRGC a terrorist organisation in 2019, a move the European Union followed on Thursday. The EU decision drew angry reactions from Tehran, which vowed to reciprocate.