More Explosions, Fires At Industrial And Commercial Sites In Iran

A photo published by Iranian media show the fire at kavian Fariman industrial complex. July 13, 2020

In Iran police is investigating the explosion of a gas tank and a fire at an industrial complex in the country's northeast, local news agencies reported. There were several condensate gas tanks at the location.

Javad Jahandoust, the fire chief at the Kavian Fariman industrial complex, some 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Iran's second largest city, Mashhad, was quoted as saying six storage tanks had caught fire, including the one that exploded.

He said the fire was under control and there were no casualties, but police were investigating the cause.

There have been several explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial facilities since late June. The most notable was a mysterious explosion and fire at Iran's uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. The government claims it is still investigating the incident that some say is a foreign attack.

On Sunday, the official IRNA news agency reported a fire at a petrochemical facility in southwest Iran, which was blamed on an oil leak. There were no casualties.

Another fire broke out Monday evening in Najafabad, west of the central city of Isfahan that reportedly destroyed three shops at the local bazaar.

It is not clear how many of these incidents in recent weeks are accidents or deliberate acts of destruction. Some fires have occurred in forests and parks and some others at commercial establishments. But explosions and fires around military and strategic locations have led to a sense of planned acts of sabotage.

With reporting by Reuters