Iran has been under international scrutiny over the past few weeks amid the regime’s violent crackdown of protests.
Iranian media reported explosions at two residential buildings in Iran (Image: IRAN INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH/X)
Iran appears to have been rocked by a series of explosions in close succession on Saturday. According to social media reports, blasts were heard in Karaj, Tabriz, Nowshahr, Hashtgerd, and Qeshm between 12.40pm and 1.30pm GMT.
In one blast at a four-unit residential building in Ahvaz, as many as four people are feared to have died. The incident occurred in the Kianshahr neighborhood and killed a family – a mother, father, and their two children – according to the head of the Ahvaz Fire and Safety Services.
IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency has released new footage from the explosion. (Image: X)
A three-year-old and a woman were pulled from the rubble, he added.
One of the other strikes was said to hit a Revolutionary Guard Navy building, but the force said this was false and none of its buildings have been damaged.
A separate post on Telegram said a different explosion hit an eight-storey building in Bandar Abbas, seriously damaging the first three floors and injuring approximately 10 people.
Other floors of the building and neighboring homes on Molam Boulevard have suffered broken windows, according to local reports.
Officials are currently on scene alongside emergency and fire rescue services to asses the extent of the incident. No fatalities have been reported so far.
Four people have reportedly been killed. (Image: X)
Amid reports of the blast, a picture also started to be shared on social media and the site Iranian Insight, purpotedly showing thick smoke rising from Parand, near Tehran. Reza Aqa’ali Khani, the administrative official of the Robat Karim area, was however quick to claim there was “no truth in the rumours regarding hearing the sound of explosions and seeing smoke in some areas of my cities of Parand and Robat Karim”.
The cause of the reported explosions across the country is currently unclear.
They come after Donald Trump warned that “a large armada” was heading to Iran in the latest escalation between Tehran and Washington.
He has threatened US military intervention if Iran doesn’t come to the negotiating table to commit to never pursue nuclear weapons and pledges to stop the killing of protesters in the anti-regime demonstrations.
He told reporters on Friday: “We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela.
“Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”
Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is strictly for civilian use.
