Explosion Rocks Iran’s Qom City, Injuring Several People

A blast occurred at a residential complex in the Iranian city of Qom, injuring at least seven people, according to several Iranian news outlets. Emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene, with at least five vehicles responding to the incident. The state-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that the explosion damaged four residential units and shattered windows of neighboring buildings, prompting the deployment of firefighting and police forces to the site.

Preliminary investigations suggest that a gas leak may have caused the incident, but a detailed probe is being conducted to determine the exact source of the blast. An unnamed official told Fars News Agency that people “should not worry about this narrative-building” regarding potential hostile acts, adding that if any such acts were to occur, “news of it would immediately be announced to the public”.

This incident comes amid speculation about Israeli drone strikes launched from inside Iran, following a series of similar explosions across the country since the June 24 ceasefire. However, authorities have rejected such speculation, and the cause of these incidents remains unclear. Notably, a similar explosion occurred in western Tehran’s Chitgar suburb just four days prior, which was also attributed to a gas leak.

The latest incident in Qom adds to a growing list of mysterious explosions and incidents across Iran, including the death of senior Muslim scholar and veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Ali Taeb. No cause of death was provided, and officials have not commented on the matter. Taeb’s passing has drawn attention due to his role as a former representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Sarallah Headquarters, a key domestic security structure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In the aftermath of the Qom explosion, Iranian media has continued to report on the country’s tensions with Israel, including the recent war and ongoing diplomatic efforts. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed openness to dialogue with the US, while Tehran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi has visited Saudi Arabia for talks with Saudi Crown Prince MBS.