Five killed in gas explosions in Iran, officials say

Five people have been killed in two separate explosions in Iran which local officials and state media say were caused by gas leaks.

One person was killed and 14 injured in a blast at a residential building in the southern city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf coast, a local official told Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency.

Another explosion killed four people in the south-western city of Ahvaz, the state-run Tehran Times reported.

It comes as tensions persist in the region after a build-up of US forces in the Gulf and pressure from President Donald Trump that Tehran strike a deal on its nuclear programme.

In the port city of Bandar Abbas, state TV said the explosion had ripped though an eight-floor building, "destroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops" in the Moallem Boulevard area.

The local fire department chief Mohammad Amin Liaqat said a preliminary assessment showed it had been caused by a gas leak and "build-up".

"My colleagues will give more details in the next few hours," he said in a video published by Mehr.

Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, a regional official, told the news agency that the injured had been taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, semi-official news agency Tasnim denied social media reports that a Revolutionary Guards navy commander had been targeted in the blast.

Elsewhere, Tehran Times reported a second explosion at a residential building in the Kianshahr neighbourhood of Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq.

It reported that emergency officials had rescued a child trapped beneath debris and transferred him for medical treatment.

Trump said on Wednesday that time was "running out" for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme, after a large US naval fleet had gathered near the country.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and has repeatedly denied accusations by the US and its allies that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The country's foreign minister said on Friday that its missile defence system would "never" be the subject of negotiation but that Tehran was open to talks with the US provided they were based on trust and respect.

Trump's warning came after he had promised to intervene to help those involved in a brutal crackdown on protests in the country earlier this month, before saying he had been told the execution of protesters had stopped.

He has since said Tehran must do to two things to avoid military action - "no nuclear" and "stop killing protesters" - and that he knew they "want to make a deal" rather than face US intervention.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed the killing of more than 6,300 people since the unrest began in late December, and investigating another 17,000 reported deaths.