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 Congratulates Iran’s Pezeshkian, Calls for Bilateral Cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin reads his press statement after the talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin reads his press statement after the talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP)
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Putin Congratulates Iran’s Pezeshkian, Calls for Bilateral Cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin reads his press statement after the talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin reads his press statement after the talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as the new president of Iran, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

"I hope that your activities as president will contribute to further building up constructive bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our friendly peoples, in the interests of simplifying regional security and stability," the statement said.

Pezeshkian has pledged to open Iran to the world and deliver freedoms its people have yearned for.