Refinery fire in Iran: Deadly accident fuels regional tensions
At least one person was killed in a refinery fire in Iran's Khuzestan province. Local media report that an accident occurred.
State media reported on October 15 that the fire took place at the Pars Petro refinery in Shushtar, a city in Khuzestan province near the Iraqi border, approximately 800 kilometres southwest of Tehran. According to the AFP agency, citing local authorities, four other people were injured.
Authorities attributed the cause of the incident to a collision of a tanker with gasoline tanks and declared that the incident is under investigation. "This incident has so far resulted in one death and four injuries," reported the official IRNA news agency, quoting the city governor, Mohsen Mousavi.
IRNA also quoted the head of crisis management in Khuzestan, Ali Abdullahi, who cited "failure to observe safety precautions in refuelling" as the cause.
The real prospect of escalation between Iran and Israel
Photos from the scene quickly appeared online, showing a column of fire that likely engulfed one of the tanks at the refinery.
There is a constant real threat of further escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel, which is why any incidents related to petrochemical infrastructure raise suspicions of potential sabotage actions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated overnight from Monday to Tuesday that a decision on the form of retaliation for the Iranian missile attack on October 1 will be made "based on Israel's interests," according to Reuters.
"We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests," the Prime Minister's office emphasized.
