Loud blasts were heard in several cities in western Iran early on Sunday, according to local news agencies and postings on social media, but the nature of the blasts was not immediately known.
After several similar incidents in recent months, authorities said that the Iranian military was holding unannounced air defense drills amid rising tensions with Israel and the US.
The governor of the town of Asadabad said a “terrifying sound” was heard, but its origin was not clear, the semi-official news agency Fars reported. “Initially it was thought it was the sound of thunderstorms due to the weather condi-tions, but this possibility was ruled out,” the official said.—Reuters
