Gas leak caused deadly Bandar Abbas explosion, officials say

Tehran: An explosion reported on Saturday at a residential building in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf coast was the result of a gas leak, according to the local fire chief.

State television said the explosion ripped though an eight-storey residential building, "destroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops" in the area of Moallem Boulevard in the city.

"The initial cause of the building accident in Bandar Abbas was a gas leak and buildup, leading to an explosion. This is the initial theory," Mohammad Amin Lyaghat said, in comments broadcast on state television.

Separate incidents were reported elsewhere in the country on Saturday but media outlets quickly dismissed any connection to an attack or potential sabotage, with tensions high as US President Donald Trump intensifies threats of military strikes against Iran.

"Unfortunately, a four-year-old girl lost her life," and 14 people were hospitalised, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of crisis management for Hormozgan province where Bandar Abbas is the capital, told Mehr news agency.

Images circulating on social media show part of the building's facade blown out.

The incident came as the US has built up its naval presence in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

After rumours circulated online, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied that any of the buildings belonging to its naval forces in the province had been targeted, according to a statement carried by the Fars news agency.

The Tasnim agency on Saturday also denied "assassination rumours" surrounding the commander of the Guards' navy Alireza Tangsiri.

Separately, in the southwestern Khuzestan province, four people were killed in a gas explosion that also took place on Saturday in the Kianshahr neighbourhood of Ahvaz city.

In Parand on the outskirts of capital Tehran, smoke in the area was "not related to a security incident and was caused by a minor fire in the reeds", state television reported.