At least one person was killed and 14 others injured in an explosion that rocked Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, Iranian media reported. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blast.
A local official told Iranian news agencies that the explosion took place in Bandar Abbas, which houses Iran’s most important container port. However, officials said the cause was not immediately clear. Iranian media confirmed that the incident was under investigation, but offered no further details. Iranian authorities were not immediately available for comment.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency dismissed claims circulating on social media that the blast had targeted a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy, calling such reports “completely false.” Meanwhile, two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel had no involvement in Saturday’s explosion in Iran.
Bandar Abbas is strategically located along the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route between Iran and Oman through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes—making it vital not just for West Asia, but also for energy-importing countries like India. The port had previously witnessed a major explosion in April last year that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 people, with an official probe at the time blaming lapses in civil defence and security preparedness.
Gas explosion kills four in Ahvaz
In a separate incident, four people were killed after a gas explosion tore through a residential building in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, close to the Iraqi border, according to the state-run Tehran Times. The report said the blast was caused by a gas leak, though further details were not immediately available.
The explosions come at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme and its handling of nationwide protests.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that an “armada” was heading towards Iran, while multiple sources told Reuters that Washington was considering several options, including possible targeted strikes on Iranian security forces.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States, Israel and European leaders of exploiting Iran’s economic difficulties, fuelling unrest and encouraging actions that could “tear the nation apart.”
Iran has been gripped by nationwide protests since December, triggered by economic hardship and rising prices. The unrest has posed one of the most serious challenges to the country’s leadership in recent years. An Iranian official told Reuters that at least 5,000 people, including around 500 security personnel, were killed during the protests.