14 injured as blast rocks Iran amid US’ warning

At least one person was killed and 14 others were injured in an explosion at the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, Iranian media

reported, as authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the blast. A local official told Iranian news agencies that the explosion occurred at the port, which lies on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but gave no details on what triggered it. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency denied social media claims that a Revolutionary Guard naval commander had been targeted, calling the reports false. In a separate incident, four people were killed in a gas explosion in the southwestern city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to Iran’s state-run Tehran Times. Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in the blasts, which come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States over Iran’s nuclear program and its crackdown on nationwide protests.

Bandar Abbas is home to Iran’s most important container port and sits along a vital shipping route that handles about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil. The port was the site of a major explosion last year that killed dozens and injured more than 1,000 people.

Iran has been facing widespread protests since December over economic hardship, posing one of the most serious challenges to the country’s leadership in recent years.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that the United States, Israel and European leaders exploited Iran’s economic problems to fuel unrest during recent nationwide protests. Speaking in a live state television broadcast, Pezeshkian accused Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European governments of provoking divisions and encouraging demonstrators to destabilise the country. “They rode on our problems, provoked, and were seeking — and still seek — to fragment society,” Pezeshkian said. “They brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart.” The protests began in late December and lasted about two weeks, driven by economic hardship marked by rising inflation and higher living costs. The unrest subsided following a violent crackdown by Iranian authorities. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 6,563 people were killed during the protests, including 6,170 protesters and 214 members of the security forces. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi gave a different figure, telling CNN Turk that about 3,100 people were killed, including 2,000 security personnel.

Pezeshkian said foreign powers “supplied resources” and drew “some innocent people” into the protests. “Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly voiced support for the protesters and warned that the United States was prepared to take action if Iran continued killing demonstrators. US officials said Friday that Trump was reviewing his options but had not decided whether to strike Iran.

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Israel’s Ynet news website reported that a US Navy destroyer docked at the Israeli port of Eilat on Friday.

Regional countries including Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been working diplomatically to prevent a wider military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

The United States has demanded that Iran curb its missile program as a condition for resuming talks, a demand Tehran has rejected. Araqchi said during a visit to Turkey that Iran’s missile program would not be negotiated.

Responding to US threats, Araqchi said Iran was prepared for both negotiations and conflict, adding that “regime change is a complete fantasy” and that Iran’s political system remains firmly established.

(With inputs from agencies)