Blast Blamed On Dam

Updated:17:34, Wednesday February 16, 2005

Iran says construction work caused the explosion near a nuclear plant which was originally thought to be a missile attack.

Military chief Ali Reza Afshar said: "What happened was only a natural part of building work.

"These were heavy blasts carried out for the construction of the dam,"

 

State TV initially said an unknown aircraft fired a missile in a deserted area near Dailam in southern Iran.

Iran and the US are currently at loggerheads about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"A powerful explosion was heard this morning on the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province," state TV said.

"Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 20 km from the city."

It was later reported that a fuel tank dropped from a plane may have been the cause of the explosion - but that was rejected by Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Other witnesses said they heard an explosion and saw a plane overhead.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said "friendly fire" may have been the cause while Israel and the US said they were both looking into the incident.

An Iranian official later said the explosion did not involve an aircraft but was connected to the building of a nearby dam.

The nuclear plant, being built with Russian help, is 90 miles from the city.

Oil prices rose sharply after news of the blast.