Eyewitnesses and local residents say a powerful explosion at a residential tower in western Tehran was not caused by a gas leak, contradicting official claims made by Iranian authorities.
The blast, which occurred Thursday afternoon at the Pamchal 9 complex in Tehran’s Chitgar area, injured at least seven people, according to emergency officials. State media and the judiciary initially blamed the explosion on a gas leak due to “owner negligence.”
But multiple sources told Iran International that the building was not connected to the municipal gas network at the time of the blast. “There is gas in the area, but the Pamchal 9 and 10 towers are still not connected,” a resident said Friday. “We use gas cylinders for now.”
Another resident added that about 70% of units in the tower were unoccupied and described extensive interior damage across multiple floors, inconsistent with a typical domestic gas explosion. “An ordinary gas blast might damage one unit, but this destroyed an entire floor and the two below it,” the source said.
The Pamchal towers are reportedly affiliated with Iran’s Armed Forces Judiciary Organization.
Witnesses also described a heavy security presence at the site, with plainclothes agents preventing residents from filming or photographing the damage. The identity of those injured or hospitalized has not been disclosed.
The judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan has denied any deliberate attack, calling the blast a result of gas accumulation. Residents and at least two eyewitnesses interviewed by Iran International rejected that account. One said the explosion reminded them of past drone strikes attributed to Israel.
Since the end of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, a string of unexplained blasts have been reported in various parts of the country.
