DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Bandar Abbas explosion tore through an apartment building in Iran’s southern port city Saturday after officials said a gas leak triggered a blast that killed at least one person and injured 14 others. Firefighters said the cause was still under review as rescue crews searched damaged floors and moved the wounded to hospitals, Jan. 31, 2026.
State media and international outlets described shattered windows, wrecked cars and chunks of debris scattered outside the building. Officials said the casualty figures could change as responders completed searches, and Iranian state media later reported two deaths.
Bandar Abbas explosion: What officials are saying
Mohammad Amin Liaqat, the local fire department chief, said early findings pointed to a gas leak. “This (gas leak) is the preliminary assessment. My colleagues will give more details in the next few hours,” he said, according to a Reuters report.
Authorities also pushed back against rumors of a targeted attack, and two Israeli officials told Reuters there was no Israeli involvement. Local reporting cited by The Associated Press included footage of a wounded man in a security-force uniform being carried from the scene.
Damage and response after the Bandar Abbas explosion
Emergency teams treated victims for burns and blast injuries, and residents in nearby buildings reported tremors and loud impacts as the shockwave rippled through the neighborhood. The Bandar Abbas explosion damaged parts of the building’s lower floors, and officials said they were working to rule out further risks from gas lines and electrical systems.
The blast came as Iran prepared for naval activity in the nearby Strait of Hormuz, and Al Jazeera reported that the incident unfolded amid heightened regional tensions and intensified scrutiny of safety and security incidents inside Iran.
Why Bandar Abbas matters
Bandar Abbas sits on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow maritime corridor linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The strait is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, with oil and other fuels moving through the waterway in massive volumes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Older incidents add context
The Bandar Abbas explosion also revives memories of earlier disruptions around the port complex. In April 2025, a huge blast and fire at the Shahid Rajaee section of Iran’s largest container hub killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds, Reuters reported at the time. In a separate account, The Associated Press reported that officials linked that port blast to a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant.
Further back, a May 2020 cyber incident caused major backups at Shahid Rajaee port after computers were disrupted, a development that Reuters later linked to a Washington Post report citing officials who said Israel appeared to be behind the attack.
Investigators have not released a full public account of what led to Saturday’s Bandar Abbas explosion, and officials said investigations were ongoing.
