Explosion Rocks Major Iranian Oil Refinery; No Casualties Reported

A general view of the Abadan oil refinery in southwest Iran.

An explosion has rocked one of Iran's major oil refineries in the southwestern city of Abadan, but officials say there were no casualties.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency on September 2 quoted informed sources as saying one of the furnaces at the sulfur production unit at the Abadan refinery caught fire and exploded.

Abadan is the oldest refinery complex in Iran and one of the largest, supplying around one-quarter of the country's fuel supplies.

The press department at the Abadan Oil Refining Company said there were no casualties from the blast.

No cause was given, although industrial accidents are common in Iran.

In the past, Tehran has blamed Israel for some incidents, including assassinations, sabotage, and cyberattacks.

Iran’s steel industry was the target of a major cyberattack in June. Three major steel companies were hit, disrupting their operations. A group calling itself Predatory Sparrow claimed responsibility.

The group also claimed a cyberattack in October on Iran’s fuel distribution system that paralyzed gas stations nationwide.

Hacker attacks on important and sensitive infrastructure in Iran have increased significantly in recent years.

Experts have said that many of the incidents bear the hallmarks of state-sponsored attacks.

Written and reported by Ardeshir Tayebi