On Saturday, January 31, two explosions occurred in Iran, in Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas, the causes of which are unclear.
In Ahvaz, an explosion occurred in a residential building. Four deaths were reported. Firefighters are working at the scene, they are clearing away the rubble, as there may be people under them.
In Bandar Abbas, an explosion occurred in an eight-story residential building on Moallem Boulevard. Iranian authorities say the incident is a domestic incident and is not linked to any military attacks.
Rumors immediately spread on social networks that these explosions were the result of an assassination attempt on a high-ranking officer, commander of the IRGC Navy, Alireza Tangsiri. However, the official Iranian agency Tasnim categorically denies this, calling reports of the assassination attempt a “psychological attack” against Iran.
According to the IRNA news agency, several wounded were evacuated from the scene in Bandar Abbas, where an explosion destroyed two floors of a building.
The Naval Public Relations Department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied reports of a “UAV attack against the headquarters of the IRGC Navy.” The statement said that “the building belonging to these forces is not damaged” and “the news published on this issue is not reliable.”
Shortly after the explosions were reported, official Iranian media published an unconfirmed report of a third explosion in Ferand. Official Iranian media denied this report. Minutes later, the opposition website Iran International reported explosions in Ardabil, Tabriz and Sawa, but these reports were again denied by official Iranian media.