New Delhi, Jan. 31 -- An explosion occurred at Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, 31 January, Iranian media reported. It said the blast was being investigated but gave no further information.

The Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander was targeted in the explosion were "completely false".

The port of Bandar Abbas 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 reported explosion comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington after Iranian authorities quelled the biggest protests to convulse the country in three years, and also amid ongoing Western concerns over Iran...