An explosion destroyed part of an apartment building in Bandar Abbas a day before Iran's planned naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, killing a 4-year-old and injuring at least 14, state media reported. Local footage reportedly showed a security force member being carried away; state TV cited a gas leak. Another blast in Ahvaz was blamed on gas and claimed five lives. The incident occurs amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions, U.S. warship movements and parallel diplomatic efforts to de-escalate.
Explosion Rips Through Bandar Abbas Apartment Ahead Of Iran Naval Drills; 4-Year-Old Killed
An apartment building is seen after an explosion in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Jan. 31, 2026. / Credit: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP(Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025)
An explosion tore through an apartment building on Saturday in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, one day before Iran planned naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. State media and local outlets reported that a 4-year-old girl was killed and at least 14 others were injured.
State television cited a local fire official who blamed the blast on a gas leak. Local footage aired by the daily Sobh-e Sahel showed rescuers carrying a man in a green security force uniform out of the damaged building on a stretcher; he wore a neck brace and appeared to be injured. The newspaper did not further address the identity of the security force member. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied reports that a Guard navy commander was wounded.
Authorities also reported another explosion on Saturday in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, which state media attributed to a gas blast and said killed five people.
Regional Tensions And Naval Drills
The explosions come as Iran planned naval drills Sunday and Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about one-fifth of globally traded oil passes. The U.S. military has warned Iran not to threaten U.S. warships or commercial shipping in the waterway.
U.S. officials reported that at least 10 American warships — including an aircraft carrier and several destroyers — were heading toward Iran's coastal waters. President Donald Trump, speaking to CBS News at a film premiere, said he had held recent conversations with Iran and planned more, and described his messages to Tehran: "No nuclear. And ... stop killing protesters." He also warned that powerful U.S. ships were in the region while saying he hoped they would not need to be used.
"I have had conversations with Iran in the last few days, and I am planning to have more," Mr. Trump said. "No. 1, no nuclear. And No. 2, stop killing protesters."
Meanwhile, diplomatic signals offered a contrasting push for restraint. Senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani wrote on X that "structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing." Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi urged de-escalation and said Egypt was working to bring the U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table for a "peaceful and comprehensive settlement" of nuclear-file concerns. Qatar's prime minister visited Tehran to discuss efforts to reduce regional tensions.
What Remains Unclear
Investigations into the cause of the Bandar Abbas blast appear to be ongoing. While state television cited a gas leak and local outlets published footage of injured security personnel, official details remain limited and some reports have not been independently verified. The broader security context — including the planned drills and heightened U.S.-Iran tensions — adds urgency to inquiries into the explosions.
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