عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iran Industrial Zone Explosion Kills One

A man whose relative is on staff at Sina Athar Clinic weeps after its explosion, outside the clinic in Tehran, Iran, early Wednesday, July 1, 2020. - AP
A man whose relative is on staff at Sina Athar Clinic weeps after its explosion, outside the clinic in Tehran, Iran, early Wednesday, July 1, 2020. - AP
TT
20
TT

Iran Industrial Zone Explosion Kills One

A man whose relative is on staff at Sina Athar Clinic weeps after its explosion, outside the clinic in Tehran, Iran, early Wednesday, July 1, 2020. - AP
A man whose relative is on staff at Sina Athar Clinic weeps after its explosion, outside the clinic in Tehran, Iran, early Wednesday, July 1, 2020. - AP

An explosion killed a worker in an industrial zone in Iran's central Isfahan province on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.

The blast struck on the Razi industrial estate in Shahreza county and was caused by a welder working on an oil tank, local crisis management chief Mansour Shishehforoush told IRNA.

"There was no oil inside the tank, but the welding caused the gas built up in it to explode."

Firefighters later brought the blaze under control, IRNA said, adding that Razi is "one of the largest chemical production industrial zones" in Iran.

There has been a spate of fires and explosions at military and civilian sites across Iran since June, AFP reported.

A July blast caused damage at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant. Iranian authorities initially said it was an accident before later blaming sabotage.

Earlier, a powerful explosion at a clinic in northern Tehran killed at least 19 people.

Most Viewed

 
World

Macron Says Ready to Discuss Nuclear Deterrence for Europe

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the closing session of the Franco-Portuguese Business Forum in Porto, on the second day of a state visit to Portugal, on February 28, 2025. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the closing session of the Franco-Portuguese Business Forum in Porto, on the second day of a state visit to Portugal, on February 28, 2025. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)
TT
20
TT

Macron Says Ready to Discuss Nuclear Deterrence for Europe

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the closing session of the Franco-Portuguese Business Forum in Porto, on the second day of a state visit to Portugal, on February 28, 2025. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the closing session of the Franco-Portuguese Business Forum in Porto, on the second day of a state visit to Portugal, on February 28, 2025. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is ready to start discussions on nuclear deterrence for Europe, hinting France could help to protect other EU countries, given the security threats posed by Russia.
European leaders will meet in London on Sunday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine and they will attend a European Union summit on Thursday.
The bloc is grappling with US President Donald Trump's willingness to embrace Russian diplomacy and the implications of an extraordinary clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Trump at the White House on Friday.
Macron told Portuguese TV RTP in an interview he posted on X on Saturday that if Europe wanted to move towards "greater autonomy" in matters of defence and nuclear deterrence, then its leaders should start a discussion about it.
"I am available to open this discussion...if it allows to build a European force," he said. "There has always been a European dimension to France's vital interests within its nuclear doctrine."
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was swift to react to Macron's comments.
"The French nuclear deterrent must remain a French nuclear deterrent," she said as she visited the Farm Show in Paris on Saturday. "It must not be shared, let alone delegated."
According to Reuters, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu reiterated Macron's stance that France's vital interests include a “European dimension”, but also that it was under the exclusive control of the French head of state.
"Our nuclear deterrent is French, and it will remain so: from the design and production of our weapons, to their implementation by decision of the President of the Republic," he said on X.
"It protects the vital interests of France, which the head of state alone can define."