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Oil Refinery Fire Injures 8 Firefighters in Southern Iran

Iran's national flag waves in Tehran, Iran, March 31, 2020. (AP)
Iran's national flag waves in Tehran, Iran, March 31, 2020. (AP)
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Oil Refinery Fire Injures 8 Firefighters in Southern Iran

Iran's national flag waves in Tehran, Iran, March 31, 2020. (AP)
Iran's national flag waves in Tehran, Iran, March 31, 2020. (AP)

Fire erupted at an oil refinery in southern Iran and injured eight firefighters Monday, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The news agency did not say what caused the fire but reported the firefighters were hurt while trying to put out the blaze burning in two of the five tanks at an oil depot near Iran's port of Bandar Abbas.

Authorities said there was concern the fire might spread to more tanks. The port, located at the mouth of strategic Strait of Hormuz, is a major import and export hub.

Similar fires were reported there in the past and at other oil facilities in Iran. Authorities blamed them on decades of international sanctions as well as hot summer weather.

Temperatures in Bandar Abbas reached nearly 37 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.

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Canada Sanctions Seven Israelis, Five Entities over West Bank Violence

Israeli soldiers restrain settlers trying to storm town of Deir Sharaf in Nablus in occupied West Bank, on November 2, 2023 (AFP)
Israeli soldiers restrain settlers trying to storm town of Deir Sharaf in Nablus in occupied West Bank, on November 2, 2023 (AFP)
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Canada Sanctions Seven Israelis, Five Entities over West Bank Violence

Israeli soldiers restrain settlers trying to storm town of Deir Sharaf in Nablus in occupied West Bank, on November 2, 2023 (AFP)
Israeli soldiers restrain settlers trying to storm town of Deir Sharaf in Nablus in occupied West Bank, on November 2, 2023 (AFP)

Canada on Thursday imposed sanctions on seven Israeli settlers it said had taken part in extremist violence in the West Bank, the second time in just over a month Ottawa has taken such a step.

The foreign ministry said it had also imposed punitive measures on five entities, including settler organizations.

"We remain deeply concerned by extremist settler violence in the West Bank and condemn such acts, not only for the significant impact they have on Palestinian lives, but also for the corrosive impact they have on prospects for lasting peace," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement.

Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was already at a more than 15-year high in 2023 and surged further after Israel's war in the separate enclave of Gaza in response to the Palestinian group Hamas' attack on Oct. 7.

Those Canada targeted include Ben-Zion Gopstein, founder and leader of the right-wing group Lehava, which opposes Jewish assimilation with non-Jews.

Also listed are Elisha Yered, who has justified killing Palestinians on religious grounds, and Shalom Zicherman, who the US State Department this year said had assaulted Israeli activists and their vehicles in the West Bank.

Canada's sanctions follow similar measures by allies including the United States and Britain.

The measures prohibit dealings related to the individuals and render them inadmissible to Canada, the foreign ministry said. Ottawa imposed sanctions on four settlers last month.