00:00The in-state media is reporting that an explosion has occurred at an eight-story building in the
00:05city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf Coast. Those reports saying the cause is unknown but the
00:11blast is being investigated. However, rumors on social media say the Revolutionary Guard's
00:17Navy commander may have been the target, a claim that the country's semi-official news agency says
00:23is completely false. Meanwhile, there's been a second explosion in Abbas near the Iraqi border.
00:30Reports say that it was a gas explosion that's killed four people.
00:34We can cross now to our correspondent in Iran, Reza Sayah, to get an update. So, Reza, what more
00:41do we know about that explosion that we discussed earlier? What is the Iranian government saying?
00:50Yeah, obviously two explosions now and when you have headlines over the past several days
00:56is heightening the possibility of war. Every explosion is going to heighten tensions. The
01:02one in Abbas, seemingly a gas explosion. The one in Bandar Abbas, seemingly a little bit more
01:08significant. But at a time when tensions are high, people here in Iran and the region are scared of
01:16a possible U.S. attack. It is critical to point out that at this point, there's absolutely no evidence,
01:22no indication, no proof that this explosion in Bandar Abbas was a result of a U.S. strike or a
01:30foreign strike targeting a specific location or a specific individual. Even though there are
01:36claims on social media, this explosion took place about 3 p.m. local time here, about three and a half
01:42hour ago. Almost immediately, there was claims that on social media that killed in this explosion was
01:50the naval commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Ali Reza Tang Siri, sued after the Revolutionary Guard,
01:57released a statement flatly denying this. So, let's tell you what we know about this explosion.
02:04It happened in Bandar Abbas, Iran's largest port city. One person killed, according to state media,
02:1214 others injured. State media reporting that the second and third floor of this residential
02:20building were destroyed, along with cars in an adjacent parking lot. Again, at a time when
02:28tensions are high, we've seen the headlines from Washington, the threats from Washington,
02:33and the response. A lot of people concerned that this was an attack, but at this point,
02:39no indication that this was a U.S. military attack. Investigators say they're working to find out
02:46exactly what caused this explosion in Bandar Abbas. Now, Reza, we saw that Reuters was reporting that
02:53two Israeli officials had said to them, we're not behind this, we're not responsible, not it.
02:58The U.S. hasn't said anything yet. So, all of this has got to keep people in Iran very tense and on edge.
03:10Absolutely. It is an unfortunate reality in Iran, in this conflict, that there is psychological warfare,
03:19that there are false reports oftentimes flooding social media intentionally. And that's why it's
03:26critical for us to only report information that's verified. And at least for now, there's no
03:32indication that this was a U.S. strike targeting an individual. But as you said, tensions are high.
03:40Obviously, over the past several days, you've had threats coming from Washington, a buildup of the
03:45U.S. naval fleet in the region. The U.S. has bolstered its troops, bolstered its missiles,
03:55threatened Iran with a strike, unless, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, there is a deal.
04:02So people are concerned. Iran, for its part, has said that they're willing to negotiate, they're willing
04:10to talk, but they don't believe that this is an appropriate environment for talks at this point.
04:16They don't believe that Mr. Trump is serious about talks. And they say any talks must take place in an
04:22environment where there are no threats and where there's mutual respect, that we certainly haven't
04:27seen that environment recently.
04:30No, obviously, no, not yet. Reza, thank you so much for keeping us updated on this developing story.
04:35That's our correspondent in Tehran, Reza Sayah.
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