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.



Putin Holds Talks with Erdogan in Astana

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana - Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana - Reuters
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Putin Holds Talks with Erdogan in Astana

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana - Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana - Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Reuters reported.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Ankara could help establish a basis to end the Ukraine-Russia war and that a fair peace suiting both sides was possible, the Turkish presidency said.

They two leaders also discussed the war in Gaza and ways to end the conflict in Syria, the Turkish presidency said in a statement after Erdogan and Putin held talks.