عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

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)
TT
TT

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.
 

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Britain, Japan Agree to Deepen Defense and Security Cooperation

Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defense and economic ties during talks between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo © Kin Cheung / POOL/AFP
Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defense and economic ties during talks between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo © Kin Cheung / POOL/AFP
TT
TT

Britain, Japan Agree to Deepen Defense and Security Cooperation

Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defense and economic ties during talks between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo © Kin Cheung / POOL/AFP
Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defense and economic ties during talks between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo © Kin Cheung / POOL/AFP

Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defense and economic ties, visiting Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday, after his bid to forge closer links with China drew warnings from US President Donald Trump.

Starmer noted that Japan and Britain were the leading economies in a trans-Pacific that includes fellow G7 member Canada, as well as other international trade and defense pacts.

"We set out a clear priority to build an even deeper partnership in the years to come," Starmer said as he stood beside Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after a bilateral meeting in Tokyo, AFP reported.

"That includes working together to strengthen our collective security, across the Euro-Atlantic and in the Indo-Pacific."

Takaichi said they agreed to hold a meeting of British and Japanese foreign and defense ministers this year.

She said she also wanted to discuss "cooperation towards realising a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Middle East situation and Ukraine situation" at a dinner with Starmer later on Saturday.

Starmer arrived on a one-day Tokyo stop after a four-day visit in China, where he followed in the footsteps of other Western leaders looking to counter an increasingly volatile United States.

Leaders from France, Canada and Finland have all travelled to Beijing in recent weeks, recoiling from Trump's bid to seize Greenland and tariff threats against NATO allies.

Trump warned on Thursday it was "very dangerous" for its close ally Britain to be dealing with China, although Starmer brushed off those comments.

Tokyo's ties with Beijing have deteriorated since Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily during a potential attack on Taiwan.

China regards the self-ruled democratic island as its territory.

Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, with both sides highlighting the need for closer ties.

He also signed a series of agreements there, with Downing Street announcing Beijing had agreed to visa-free travel for British citizens visiting China for under 30 days.

No start date for that arrangement has been given yet.

Takaich said the two leaders agreed during discussions on economic security that a strengthening of supply chains "including important minerals is urgently needed".

There is concern that Beijing could choke off exports of the rare earths crucial for making everything from electric cars to missiles.

China, the world's leading producer of such minerals, announced new export controls in October on rare earths and associated technologies.

They have also been a major sticking point in trade negotiations between China and the United States.

Britain, Japan and Italy are also developing a new fighter jet after Tokyo relied for decades on the United States for military hardware.

World

Iran Army Chief Warns US and Israel, Says Forces on High Alert

An Iranian walks past a huge anti-US mural painted on the side of a building in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)
An Iranian walks past a huge anti-US mural painted on the side of a building in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)
TT
TT

Iran Army Chief Warns US and Israel, Says Forces on High Alert

An Iranian walks past a huge anti-US mural painted on the side of a building in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)
An Iranian walks past a huge anti-US mural painted on the side of a building in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country's forces were on high alert.

He also insisted Iran’s nuclear expertise could not be eliminated, after US President Donald Trump said he expected Tehran to seek a deal to avoid US strikes.

"If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime," Hatami said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

According to AFP, he noted that Iran's armed forces were "at full defensive and military readiness".

Washington sent a naval strike group to the Middle East led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, with Trump threatening to intervene militarily after a deadly crackdown by Iranian authorities on two weeks of anti-government protests.

The deployment has raised fears of a possible direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies -- notably Israel -- in the event of an attack.

On Friday, Trump said he predicted that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal over its nuclear and missile programs rather than face American military action.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said earlier that Tehran was ready for nuclear talks, but its missiles and defense "will never be negotiated".

The US carried out strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites in June when it briefly joined Israel's 12-day war against its regional foe.

Israeli attacks also hit military sites across the country and killed senior officers and top nuclear scientists.

But Hatami on Saturday insisted that Iran's nuclear technology "cannot be eliminated, even if scientists and sons of this nation are martyred".

On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would conduct "a two-day live-fire naval exercise" in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit hub for global energy supplies.

In a statement, CENTCOM warned the IRGC against "any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces".

Nationwide protests against the rising cost of living erupted in Iran on December 28, before turning into a broader anti-government movement that peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities have said the protests began peacefully before turning into "riots" involving killings and vandalism, blaming the United States and Israel for fomenting the unrest in a "terrorist operation".

The official death toll from the authorities stands at 3,117.

However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,563 deaths, including 6,170 protesters and 124 children.

The protests have since subsided.

World

10 Security Officials, 37 Militants Killed in SW Pakistan Attacks

Security personnel inspect the blast site after an attack by Baloch separatists in Quetta on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Adnan AHMED / AFP)
Security personnel inspect the blast site after an attack by Baloch separatists in Quetta on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Adnan AHMED / AFP)
TT
TT

10 Security Officials, 37 Militants Killed in SW Pakistan Attacks

Security personnel inspect the blast site after an attack by Baloch separatists in Quetta on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Adnan AHMED / AFP)
Security personnel inspect the blast site after an attack by Baloch separatists in Quetta on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Adnan AHMED / AFP)

At least 10 security officials and 37 militants were killed as ethnic Baloch separatists launched "coordinated" attacks across Pakistan's Balochistan province on Saturday, an official said, the latest violence in insurgency-hit southwest region.

"The terrorists ... launched coordinated attacks this morning at more than 12 locations,” a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"Thirty-seven terrorists have been eliminated... Ten security personnel were martyred while a few others were injured," the official added.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces, foreign nationals and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.