Two explosions rocked Iran on Saturday and killed at least four people as the country grapples with violent protests.
One blast happened near Iran’s southern port of Bander Abbas, which lies on the Strait of Hormuz and handles about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.
A second blast was reported more than 600 miles away in an eight-storey residential building in the town of Ahvaz, where four people died, according to local media.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander was targeted in the second explosion were ‘completely false’.
Pictures showed significant damage to the lower floors of the tower block, while several cars and a shop were also reportedly damaged.
Iranian media said the blast was being investigated but gave no further information, and the cause of both explosions is currently unknown.
The reported explosions come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington after Iranian authorities quelled the biggest protests to convulse the country in three years, and also amid ongoing Western concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The nationwide protests erupted in December over economic hardship and posed one of the toughest challenges to the country’s clerical rulers.
Several explosions rocked Iranon Saturday, leaving at least four people dead
At least 5,000 people were killed in the protests, including 500 members of the security forces, according to Iranian officials.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that an ‘armada’ was heading toward Iran.
Multiple sources said on Friday that Trump was weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused US, Israeli and European leaders of exploiting Iran’s economic problems, inciting unrest and providing people with the means to ‘tear the nation apart’.
