Explosions and large fires rock Mashhad and Mahmoud Abad in Iran

Iranian authorities are investigating a series of explosions and large fires reported in recent hours in the cities of Mashhad and the Mahmoud Abad industrial park, in the north of the country.

Videos shared on social media show plumes of black smoke rising over urban and industrial areas, while residents report hearing multiple explosions followed by fires that quickly spread to the affected facilities.

In Mahmoud Abad, an area known for housing chemical factories and warehouses, firefighters are struggling to contain the flames that spread after the explosions. In Mashhad, Iran's second-most populous city and a center of religious pilgrimage, material damage is reported to residential buildings near the blast site.

So far, authorities have not issued an official report on injuries or deaths, but emergency teams and bomb disposal units have been deployed in both cities.

Although the causes of the incident have not yet been confirmed, analysts do not rule out a possible act of sabotage, amid rising regional tensions due to the escalation of proxy clashes between Iran, Israel, and their allies in the region.

The Iranian Interior Ministry has promised a press conference in the coming hours to provide details about what happened.