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. Israeli officials denied any involvement.

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. According to the local fire chief, the blast was the result of a gas leak.

“The initial cause of the building accident in Bandar Abbas was a gas leak and buildup, leading to an explosion. This is the initial theory,” Mohammad Amin Lyaghat said, in comments broadcast on state television.

According to a local official, the only person killed in the blast was a child.

“Unfortunately, a four-year-old girl lost her life,” and 14 people were hospitalized, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of crisis management for Hormozgan province where Bandar Abbas is the........

© The Times of Israel