Five people have died in two separate explosions across Iran today, with local media attributing both incidents to gas leaks amid heightened regional tensions.A blast in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas claimed the life of a four-year-old girl and left 14 others wounded, according to Iranian news outlets.More than 1,000 kilometres away in Ahvaz, a second explosion killed four people, local officials confirmed.Iranian media have reported that gas was responsible for both blasts, while Israel has publicly denied any involvement in the incidents.
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The explosions occurred as the United States continues to expand its military presence in waters near Iran, with Donald Trump warning earlier this week that a “large armada” was sailing towards the country.Tehran has dismissed as “completely false” social media claims suggesting a military commander was among those targeted.The Bandar Abbas explosion struck an eight-storey residential building, inflicting severe damage to the lower three floors, according to Fars news agency.Persian Gulf Radio reported that the blast also destroyed several vehicles and a nearby shop.Footage broadcast by Fars revealed scenes of devastation, with shattered glass and debris scattered across the surrounding area.Emergency services including firefighters and rescue crews were dispatched to the site and remain on scene.The semi-official Tasnim news agency moved swiftly to reject online speculation that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been the intended target of the attack, describing such claims as entirely without foundation.Bandar Abbas occupies a strategically vital position on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway separating Iran from Oman through which approximately one-fifth of all seaborne oil passes globally.The explosions come against a backdrop of escalating US-Iran tensions, with Mr Trump declaring on Friday that an American naval force larger than the one used in Venezuela was currently en route to Iranian waters.”We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the US President told journalists.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSKeir Starmer makes startling admission on Donald Trump’s plan to bomb IranBritain set to proscribe IRGC as terror group amid violent crackdownLabour under pressure to classify Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as terrorists following EU designation”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.”Mr Trump declined to confirm whether Washington was contemplating military action similar to the operation that saw Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro captured and removed from power.The USS Abraham Lincoln and multiple guided-missile destroyers are already positioned in the Middle East, with additional warships joining the deployment.On Thursday, Mr Trump expressed hope that armed conflict could be avoided while outlining two conditions for Iran: abandoning nuclear ambitions and ceasing the killing of protesters.Sir Keir Starmer suggested the UK would support US military action, saying: “We support the goal [of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons] and we are talking to allies about how we get to that goal.”Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has signalled his country’s willingness to engage in dialogue with Washington, though only under specific conditions.Following discussions with Turkish diplomats, Araghchi stated that Tehran was “ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect”.However, he firmly ruled out any discussion of Iran’s military capabilities, declaring: “I want to state firmly that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation.”The foreign minister also struck a defiant tone, asserting: “The Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it is ready for negotiations, is also ready for war.”The tensions follow nationwide demonstrations that began in late December over economic grievances before evolving into broader anti-regime protests. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard suppressed the unrest, with activist organisations estimating that as many as 30,000 people perished in the subsequent crackdown.Amnesty International found that security forces positioned on the streets and on the rooftops of buildings, including houses, mosques and police stations, have repeatedly fired rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets at protesters, frequently targeting their heads and torsos. The organisation also described unrest in January 2026 as the deadliest period of repression by the Iranian authorities in decades.
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