Refinery blaze in Iran sparks fears of sabotage amidst tensions

At least one person was killed in a refinery fire in Iran's Khuzestan province. Local media report that an accident occurred.

The fire took place at the Pars Petro refinery in Shushtar, a city in Khuzestan province near the Iraqi border, approximately 500 miles southwest of Tehran, state media reported on October 15. 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 announced that the incident is under investigation. "As a result of this incident, one person died, and four were injured," 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 during refueling" as the cause.

Photos from the scene quickly appeared online. They show 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.

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 positions of the U.S. government, but the final decision will be made based on an analysis of Israel's national security needs," emphasized the Prime Minister's office.