Iranian civil protection service employee Photo: Ircs/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
At least one person was killed and 14 injured in an explosion that took place in the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, but the cause of the explosion remains unknown, reports Reuters.
UPDATE 18.40: The fire chief of Bandar Abbas announced that the explosion was caused by a gas build-up.
“This gas leak and their accumulation is the preliminary assessment. My colleagues will provide more details in the coming hours,” Mehr news agency quoted Mohammad Amin Liaqat as saying.
The Tasnim news agency reported that information on social media that the target of the blast was a Revolutionary Guard navy commander was “completely false.”
Iranian media reported that an investigation into the cause of the explosion had begun, but no further details were provided. Iranian authorities could not yet be reached for comment, Reuters reports.
Euronews reports that sources in Iran attribute the incident to a gas leak, while others claim that the building was not connected to the gas network.
Israel denies any involvement
Also, in another incident, four people were killed in an explosion in the city of Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq, caused by a gas leak, according to the Tehran Times.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday's blasts, which come amid tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran's crackdown on protests and the country's nuclear program. The Pentagon also did not respond to a request for comment.
US President Donald Trump announced on January 22 that an American “armada” is heading to Iran. Several sources said on Friday that Trump is considering several options for action against Iran, including targeted attacks on its security forces.
On Saturday morning, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused leaders from the United States, Israel and the EU of exploiting Iran's economic problems by fomenting unrest to “divide the nation”.
Bandar Abbas, a port of major importance
Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's most important port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital seaway between Iran and Iman through which 20% of the world's oil production passes.
The port experienced a major explosion in April 2025, killing dozens and injuring over 1,000. A commission of inquiry determined that the explosion was caused by non-compliance with security and civil protection regulations.
Iran has been rocked by nationwide protests that erupted in December over economic difficulties and have posed a major threat to the theocracy that rules the country.
At least 5,000 people have been killed during the protests, including 500 members of the security forces, an Iranian official told Reuters.
Naval exercises cancelled
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Iran's Revolutionary Guard had announced plans for naval military maneuvers this week, a decision that prompted the US military to ask the Guard to avoid any provocative behavior in Persian Gulf waters.
Al Mayadeen TV – a station close to Hezbollah and the Islamist regime in Iran – announced on Saturday afternoon that the expected military maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz, in which Russian and Chinese ships were also supposed to participate, have been canceled, as China and Russia are no longer sending naval forces to the region, at least until mid-February.
