Fire put out near Iran military housing complex, state media says

A view of a damaged building after a fire broke out at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan province on July 2, 2020. Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran/WANA via Reuters

A short-circuit on a power line sparked a brush fire near a housing area for military officials in Tehran on Friday, police and the fire department said, denying there had been an explosion, Iranian news agencies reported.

Since late June, a string of fires and blasts has been reported at military, industrial and nuclear sites in Iran as well as at oil refineries, power plants, factories and businesses.

The deputy chief of Tehran police, Hamid Hadavand, told the semi-official news agency ILNA that the fire had been put out, while a fire department spokesman said there was no report of any explosion.

Mr Hadavand said the affected area was located near the Shahid Daghayeghi complex, which houses some Revolutionary Guards commanders and other senior officials, according to Iranian media reports.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that foreign governments may have been behind recent cyberattacks on Iranian facilities, but played down the possibility of them having a role in the fires and explosions.

An article this month by Iran state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.