An explosion occurred at Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, Iranian media reported, with out giving a trigger for the blast.
The semi-official Tasnim information company mentioned that social media stories alleging {that a} Revolutionary Guard navy commander was focused within the explosion have been “fully false”.
Iranian media mentioned the blast was being investigated however gave no additional data. Iranian authorities couldn’t instantly be contacted for remark.
The port of Bandar Abbas lies on the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway between Iran and Oman which handles a couple of fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.
The reported explosion comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington after Iranian authorities quelled the largest protests to convulse the nation in three years, and in addition amid ongoing Western issues over Iran’s nuclear program.
The nationwide protests erupted in December over financial hardship and posed one of many hardest challenges to the nation’s clerical rulers.
At the very least 5,000 individuals have been killed within the protests, together with 500 members of the safety forces, an Iranian official advised Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Thursday an “armada” was heading towards Iran. A number of sources mentioned on Friday that Trump was weighing choices in opposition to Iran that embody focused strikes on safety forces.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused U.S., Israeli and European leaders of exploiting Iran’s financial issues, inciting unrest and offering individuals with the means to “tear the nation aside”.
— This can be a creating story. Please test again for particulars.
