Four people were killed in a gas explosion on Saturday in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, while a separate blast in the port city of Bandar Abbas left one person dead and at least 14 others injured, Iranian media reported.
State-run Tehran Times said the Ahvaz explosion was caused by a gas leak, with no further details immediately available. Press TV reported that rescue crews were clearing debris in search of people trapped under the rubble.
Hours earlier, an unrelated explosion ripped through a residential building in Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main container port on the Strait of Hormuz. Local officials said the cause had not yet been identified, while state television quoted a fire official as saying a gas leak was the likely trigger.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency rejected social media claims that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in Bandar Abbas, calling the reports false. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also denied that any of its naval facilities had been hit.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused leaders in the U.S., Israel and Europe of exploiting Iran’s economic pressures, stirring unrest and giving people the means to “tear the nation apart”.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in either explosion.
Bandar Abbas, located on the Strait of Hormuz, hosts Iran’s main container port and suffered a major explosion last April that killed dozens and injured more than 1,000 people.
Investigators later attributed that incident to failures in civil defence and security practices.
Iran continues to face nationwide protests fuelled by economic hardship.
An Iranian official told Reuters that at least 5,000 people have been killed in the unrest, including 500 members of the security forces.
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Oil tankers began moving through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday as an interim agreement between the United States and Iran came into effect, marking a tentative de-escalation in a conflict that has disrupted global energy markets and heightened regional tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump sought a deal with Iran "out of deperation," Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said, in a statement on social media. Khamenei added that he himself "held a different view," to Trump, but allowed the agreement after receiving assurances from Iran's President.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the recent agreement between the U.S. and Iran, saying it could help stabilise the Middle East and ease pressure on global energy and food markets.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. President criticised Israel for its tactics against Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to tackle militants.
U.S. President Donald Trump sought a deal with Iran "out of deperation," Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said, in a statement on social media. Khamenei added that he himself "held a different view," to Trump, but allowed the agreement after receiving assurances from Iran's President.
Britain has announced an additional £8 million ($11 million) to help Pakistan combat illegal migration, human trafficking and organised crime, while praising Islamabad's role in diplomacy that helped secure the recent U.S.-Iran agreement.
Caleb Yirenkyi’s stoppage-time goal secured a 1-0 win for Ghana over Panama as World Cup action delivered a mix of late drama and key results. Colombia and England also began their campaigns with victories, while DR Congo held Portugal in a historic 1-1 draw and Austria beat Jordan 3-1.
The European Commission has announced €493 million in emergency support for the Ebola response, including funding for vaccines, treatment and health security measures.
Planned U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland on Friday will no longer take place after Vice President JD Vance withdrew from a scheduled trip to meet Iranian negotiators, Swiss authorities said.
The European Parliament has adopted one of its strongest resolutions on Georgia to date, calling for the release of political prisoners, backing sanctions against senior officials and warning that continued democratic decline could jeopardise the country's EU ambitions and visa-free travel regime.
The Caspian Sea has retreated by up to 35 kilometres along Kazakhstan's coastline since 2006, raising fresh concerns about the future of the world's largest inland body of water and the communities, industries and ecosystems that depend on it.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has remotely signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the U.S., brokered by Pakistan, under which Tehran and Washington agreed to extend their ceasefire and begin negotiations towards a peace agreement.
Kazakhstan and Iran have agreed to accelerate cooperation on transport corridors, giving Kazakhstan access to key Iranian ports in a move aimed at strengthening trade routes and reducing reliance on transit routes through neighbouring countries.
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