One person was killed and two others injured in an explosion at a petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh in southern Iran along the coast of the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, the third such incident in four days, according to Iranian media.
The explosion occurred along an oxygen transmission line between the Mobin Petrochemical plant and Damavand Energy Company in Asaluyeh due to an “unknown issue,” according to an update on the Damavand Energy Company’s website.
The fire that it ignited was extinguished, and the director of public relations of the Mobin plant told Iranian media that the complex is still functioning without any issues.
Video, reportedly from the scene, showed plumes of smoke billowing skyward.
The two companies connected to the oxygen transmission line are responsible for producing electricity in Iran, among other services. The incident comes as much of Iran suffers from widespread blackouts.
Iranian officials have not been entirely clear about what is causing the blackouts, although Iranian media have reported that increased power usage due to cryptocurrency mining and hot weather is one of the possible reasons. A delay in repairs on power plants in the country has also been blamed.
The Iranian energy minister explained this week that the country’s power plants haven’t been able to keep up with demand, and cryptocurrency mining is a major energy consumer, according to the Iranian Fars News Agency.
The minister stressed that a cyberattack was not behind the power outages.
This is the third such incident reported at a petrochemical plants plant in Iran this week.Incidents were reported at petrochemical plants at the Kangan Petro Refining Co. (KPRC) and in Shahin Shahr.
The incident on Wednesday took place about 80 km. from where the explosion in Kangan was reported on Monday.According to Iranian media, a fire at the waste warehouse at KPRC was contained and extinguished within an hour, and no operational units were damaged. No injuries were reported in the fire.The cause of the fire in Kangan is still under investigation.The fire in Kangan came just a day after nine people were injured in an explosion on Saturday night at the Sepahan Nargostar chemical and fireworks factory in the city of Shahin Shahr in Iran’s Isfahan Province.
The cause of that blast was said to also be under investigation.
The Sepahan Nargostar factory is a producer of industrial and commercial explosive materials and is under the supervision of the National Security Council, according to IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency), the official government-controlled news agency. The company produces various types of fireworks and gunpowder, as well as nitrate, sodium, potassium, strontium, calcium, copper and barium, the report said.
The Guardian reported on Sunday that the blast actually took place at the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA), which produces a variety of aircraft, including drones, for Iranian and pro-Iranian forces; it is also located in Shahin Shahr.
The explosion was linked to the shooting down of a drone by Israel near the Jordanian border last week, the report said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was an Iranian drone sent from either Iraq or Syria. The IDF collected fragments of the destroyed aircraft for further examination.
The news of the fires and the explosions comes just days after Iranian officials reported major progress with world powers in negotiations on renewing the Iran nuclear deal.
Last Thursday, Rouhani said all parties to the talks have agreed to lift “all major sanctions” on Iranian oil, petrochemicals, shipping, insurance and the central bank.
Last year, a series of explosions and fires hit industrial sites across Iran, including a number of petrochemical plants. Iranian officials referred to most of the cases as incidents or accidents, although some reports have claimed that at least some of them involved foul play. Aging infrastructure in Iran has also been blamed for some of the incidents.