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An explosion at a residential building in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas killed one person and injured 14 others on Saturday, local fire chief said, adding that it was caused by a gas leak.
State television said the explosion ripped though an eight-storey residential building, "destroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops" in the area of Moallem Boulevard in the city.
"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.
Separate incidents were reported elsewhere in the country on Saturday but media outlets quickly dismissed any connection to an attack or potential sabotage, with tensions high as US President Donald Trump intensifies threats of military strikes against Iran.
"Unfortunately, a four-year-old girl lost her life," and 14 people were hospitalised, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of crisis management for Hormozgan province where Bandar Abbas is the capital, told Mehr news agency.
Images circulating on social media show part of the building's facade blown out.
The incident came as the US has built up its naval presence in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
After rumours circulated online, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied that any of the buildings belonging to its naval forces in the province had been targeted, according to a statement carried by the Fars news agency.
The Tasnim agency on Saturday also denied "assassination rumours" surrounding the commander of the Guards' navy Alireza Tangsiri.
Separately, in the southwestern Khuzestan province, four people were killed in a gas explosion that also took place on Saturday in the Kianshahr neighbourhood of Ahvaz city.
In Parand on the outskirts of capital Tehran, smoke in the area was "not related to a security incident and was caused by a minor fire in the reeds", state television reported.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday's blasts, which come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over nationwide protests and the country's nuclear programme.
Trump on January 22 said an "armada" was heading toward Iran. Multiple sources said on Friday that Trump was weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused US, Israeli and European leaders of exploiting Iran's economic problems, inciting unrest and providing people with the means to "tear the nation apart".
Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's most important container port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.
The port suffered a major explosion last April that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 people. An investigative committee at the time blamed the blast on shortcomings in adherence to principles of civil defence and security.
Iran has been rocked by nationwide protests that erupted in December over economic hardship and have posed one of the toughest challenges to the government.
At least 5,000 people were killed in the protests, including 500 members of the security forces, an Iranian official told Reuters.
