An explosion ripped through an apartment building in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, killing a four-year-old girl and injuring at least 14 others, just a day before Iran is set to hold a naval drill in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state television quoted a local fire official as saying the blast was caused by a gas leak. Footage aired by local media showed rescuers carrying out an injured man wearing a green security force uniform on a stretcher, though officials did not confirm his identity. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied reports that any of its naval commanders were wounded.
Bandar Abbas lies along the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passes. The incident comes amid heightened tensions, with the US military warning Iran against any actions that could endanger American warships or commercial vessels during the planned drill.
In a separate incident the same day, another explosion, also blamed on a gas leak, killed five people in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, according to Iranian media.
Regional tensions remain high following threats by US President Donald Trump to consider military action against Iran over its violent crackdown on protests and the possible mass execution of detainees. Tehran has warned it could respond by targeting US interests and allies in the region.
Iranian security official Ali Larijani said on social media that “structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” though no formal talks with Washington have been announced. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly ruled out negotiations with the US.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for de-escalation during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, saying Cairo is working to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table over Iran’s nuclear program. Qatar also said its prime minister visited Tehran to discuss efforts to reduce regional tensions.