Explosion in Iranian port city ahead of Irans naval...

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, The blast happened a day before a planned naval drill by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes.

World At least 1 killed in Iranian port city blast ahead of Iran’s naval drill in the Strait of Hormuz : / 9:23 PM EST / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google One day before a planned naval drill the Strait of Hormuz, an explosion tore through an apartment building Saturday in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, which sits on the strait. The blast killed a 4-year-old girl as local media footage purportedly showed a security force member being carried out by rescuers. (shocking, we know)

Iran is planning a naval drill Sunday and Monday in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes.

The Details

Military has warned Iran not to threaten its warships or commercial traffic in the strait. State television quoted a local fire official as blaming the blast on a gas leak.

Media reported at least 14 others injured in the explosion. An apartment building is seen after an explosion in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Jan.

Why This Matters

Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP A local newspaper, Sobh-e Sahel, aired footage of a correspondent speaking in front of the building. The footage included a sequence that showed a man in a green security force uniform being carried out on a stretcher. He wore a neck brace and appeared to be in pain, his left hand covering the branch insignia on his uniform.

This is part of the larger geopolitical picture unfolding right now.

Key Takeaways

• The newspaper did not acknowledge the security force member being carried out elsewhere in its reporting.
• Iran’s paramilitary major Guard did not discuss the blast, other than to deny that a Guard navy commander had been hurt.
• Another explosion blamed on a gas explosion Saturday in the southwestern city of Ahvaz killed five people, state media reported.

The Bottom Line

Another explosion blamed on a gas explosion Saturday in the southwestern city of Ahvaz killed five people, state media reported. Iran remains tense over a threat to potentially launch a military strike on the country over the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained in a major crackdown over the demonstrations.

What do you think about all this?