Two explosions in separate Iranian cities killed at least five people, including a young child, and wounded more than a dozen others on Saturday, prompting Iranian officials to deny reports of a targeted attack and drawing swift denials of involvement from the United States and Israel.
In the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, an explosion tore through a residential building, killing a 4-year-old girl and injuring at least 14 people, according to Iranian media. Initial reports said the blast may have been caused by a gas leak, though authorities said the incident remained under investigation.
The explosion occurred a day before Iran is scheduled to hold naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passes. Video aired by local media showed rescuers carrying injured people from the damaged building, including what appeared to be a member of the security forces.
Earlier in the day, a separate blast struck a residential building in Ahvaz, in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, killing four people, the state-run Tehran Times reported. Officials also attributed that explosion to a gas leak, though they did not immediately release details on the cause.
Rumors circulated on social media that the Bandar Abbas explosion was an assassination attempt targeting a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard naval forces. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency dismissed those claims as “completely false.”
Amid heightened regional tensions, unnamed Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in either explosion. U.S. officials also denied any role, saying the Bandar Abbas blast was unrelated to military activity, according to CNN.
The denials came as tensions remain high between Iran, the United States and Israel, with Washington preparing to deploy additional naval assets to the region and Tehran set to conduct live-fire drills near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that Israel, the United States and European leaders had fueled recent unrest inside Iran, accusing them of providing the means to “tear the nation apart.” At the same time, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran remained open to talks with Washington if negotiations were “fair and equitable.”
U.S. Central Command warned Friday that any unsafe behavior by Iranian forces during naval exercises could risk escalation, particularly near U.S. and allied vessels or commercial shipping.
Iranian officials sought to downplay speculation surrounding the explosions, urging the public to rely on official investigations rather than viral claims online. The blasts, while deadly, were described by authorities as separate incidents with no evidence so far of coordinated attacks.
Investigations into both explosions were continuing late Saturday.
TheIndependent
