Gas leak causes explosion in Iranian city of Bandar Abbas

According to preliminary investigations, the explosion that damaged a residential building in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday was caused by a gas leak. This was stated by local fire chief Mohammad Amin Liaqat, who added that the exact causes would be known in the coming hours.

According to state media, the explosion claimed at least one life and injured 14 people.

Footage from the scene shows destroyed vehicles and people standing among the rubble of the damaged building. Reuters confirmed the location of the video based on satellite images, but the time it was taken could not be independently verified.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency also denied reports on social media that the explosion targeted the commander of the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces.

On the same day, another gas explosion occurred in the city of Ahvaz near the border with Iraq, killing four people. Details are not yet known.

The incidents come at a time of heightened tension in Iran, which is facing internal unrest and pressure from the United States. Bandar Abbas is a strategic port on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world's oil supplies pass.

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