Explosion hits building in Iranian port city, press reports

The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but the episode comes in a context of growing tension and US military threats against the ayatollahs’ regime.

According to information released on Iranian state television, the incident took place in an eight-story building and “destroyed two floors, several vehicles and stores” on a busy city avenue.

Social media was gripped by rumors that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy commander was targeted, information that the semi-official Tasnim news agency dismissed as “completely false.”

State media added that rescue and firefighting teams were on site to assist potential victims.

The port of Bandar Abbas is located in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas passes. According to Reuters, Bandar Abbas is home to Iran’s most important container port.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday renewed criticism of the United States, Israel and Europe, accusing them of exploiting Iran’s economic problems, inciting social unrest and providing the people with the means to “destroy the nation.”

Iranian Army chief says soldiers are in “full defensive readiness”

The commander-in-chief of Iran’s Army, General Amir Hatami, declared this Saturday that his Armed Forces have “their finger on the trigger” and are closely monitoring the movements of the “enemy”, a reference to the US, which has mobilized a large fleet in the Middle East for possible military action against Tehran.

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are in a complete state of defensive and military alert; the enemy’s movements in the region are monitored precisely and we have our finger on the trigger,” the military chief told the news agency Morelinked to the Islamic regime.

Hatami added that “if the enemy makes a mistake, it will undoubtedly endanger its own security, the security of the region and that of the Zionist regime (a reference to Israel)”, considered an enemy country of Tehran.

US President Donald Trump warned again this Friday (30) that the fleet heading to Iran is “even bigger” than the one deployed against Venezuela, although he left open the possibility of an agreement with Tehran.

On Thursday, the Republican leader had already expressed his readiness to negotiate an agreement with the Iranian regime that would involve the eradication of the nuclear program and the interruption of the repression that resulted in the deaths of thousands of demonstrators during the protests that began in December.