Explosion at Iran's Southern Port of Bandar Abbas Kills One, Hurts 14

Smoke rises from a fire caused by an explosion in Tehran (File photo - Reuters)
Smoke rises from a fire caused by an explosion in Tehran (File photo - Reuters)
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Explosion at Iran's Southern Port of Bandar Abbas Kills One, Hurts 14

Smoke rises from a fire caused by an explosion in Tehran (File photo - Reuters)
Smoke rises from a fire caused by an explosion in Tehran (File photo - Reuters)

At least one person was killed and 14 injured in ​an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, a local official told Iranian news agencies, but the cause of the blast was not known.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the explosion were "completely false".

Iranian media said the blast was under ‌investigation but provided ‌no further information. Iranian authorities could ‌not immediately ⁠be ​contacted ‌for comment.
Separately, four people were killed after a gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to state-run Tehran Times. No further information was immediately available.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday's blasts, which come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran's ⁠crackdown on nationwide protests and over the country's nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump ‌said on Thursday an "armada" was heading toward ‍Iran. Multiple sources said on ‍Friday that Trump was weighing options against Iran that include ‍targeted strikes on security forces.

Bandar ​Abbas, home to Iran's most important container port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway ⁠between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.

The port suffered a major explosion last April that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 people. An investigative committee at the time blamed the blast on shortcomings in adherence to principles of civil defense and security.
 



Colombian Leader Says US Prevented Him from Meeting Mamdani

President of Colombia Gustavo Petro speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East, at UN Headquarters in New York, on June 10, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
President of Colombia Gustavo Petro speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East, at UN Headquarters in New York, on June 10, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
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Colombian Leader Says US Prevented Him from Meeting Mamdani

President of Colombia Gustavo Petro speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East, at UN Headquarters in New York, on June 10, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
President of Colombia Gustavo Petro speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East, at UN Headquarters in New York, on June 10, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of trampling his freedom by preventing him from meeting New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a fellow critic of US President Donald Trump.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Petro was scheduled to meet with Mamdani while in New York for meetings at the United Nations, AFP said.

But Bogota canceled the encounter after US officials warned it would violate the visa ban imposed on Petro last year during a row with Trump, anonymous sources told the Post.

Petro can currently only enter the United States with a diplomatic visa for official business only.

He said on Thursday that he was never informed that he would face restrictions on his movements.

"I consider it undemocratic that my freedom to speak with the mayor of New York was restricted...and that my freedom of thought was restricted by not allowing me to give a lecture to which I was invited in Boston," he wrote on X.

Democrat Mamdani was elected mayor in November on a "socialist," migrant-inclusive platform seen as a repudiation of Trump's hardline policies.

Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, has repeatedly crossed swords with Trump on issues ranging from migrant deportations to deadly US strikes on suspected drug boats to Petro's own record on combatting cocaine trafficking.

In an interview with AFP last week the Colombian leader, who is in his last weeks in office, accused Washington of allying itself with the very drug traffickers it claims to combat by supporting right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella to succeed Petro.

De la Espriella, who is tipped to beat Petro's preferred candidate, left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda in a June 21 presidential runoff, made his name representing drug traffickers, paramilitaries and a pyramid scheme kingpin.

He has promised to deepen ties with the United States "like never before" if elected.


US Forces Shoot Down Two Iranian Attack Drones

A photo published by Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, showing rocket launchers being fired from a speed boat during military drills in the Strait of Hormuz (archive photo).
A photo published by Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, showing rocket launchers being fired from a speed boat during military drills in the Strait of Hormuz (archive photo).
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US Forces Shoot Down Two Iranian Attack Drones

A photo published by Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, showing rocket launchers being fired from a speed boat during military drills in the Strait of Hormuz (archive photo).
A photo published by Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, showing rocket launchers being fired from a speed boat during military drills in the Strait of Hormuz (archive photo).

US forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones as ‌Tehran ‌appeared to ‌attempt ⁠to strike commercial ships ⁠transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a US official ‌told Reuters ‌on Thursday, ‌in ‌the latest clashes between the two ‌nations, Reuters said.
"Traffic flow through the ⁠strait ⁠continues," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Three Civilians Dead in Latest Russia, Ukraine Strikes

Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)
Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)
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Three Civilians Dead in Latest Russia, Ukraine Strikes

Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)
Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)

Three civilians died in Russian and Ukrainian border regions, officials said on Friday, as the two sides lobbed overnight strikes at each other in the latest exchange of fire in the grinding war.

In Russia, two civilians were killed and two wounded in the border region of Bryansk after Kyiv struck the settlement of Suzemka with artillery, acting governor Egor Kovalchuk said in a post to Telegram.

In Ukraine, a 44-year-old woman working as a rail station operator died on her way to a shelter during a drone attack in the border region of Sumy, the head of Ukrainian Railways said.

Another woman, a station attendant, was wounded in the attack, Oleksandr Pertsovkyi said.

Three people were wounded in separate strikes on Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region.

In recent months, Kyiv has carried out an increasing number of attacks on Russian territory, in response to nearly daily bombardments by Moscow since it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.