Relief as Iran missile turns out to be fallen fuel tank

A state TV report that a missile had been fired from an unidentified aircraft followed by an explosion in a region where Iran has a nuclear power plant caused a brief scare today.

The report said a powerful explosion was heard about 15 miles from the city of Deilam in southern Bushehr province.

But then the station rowed back and said an Iranian plane had dropped a fuel tank on an uninhabited area, causing a loud explosion that eyewitnesses at first thought may have been caused by a missile.

Rescue teams were sent to the area, state TV said, without providing details on casualties.

Eyewitnesses had initially contacted authorities saying they thought the explosion was caused by a missile from an aircraft, the station reported.

The Deilam region is about 75 miles north of the Bushehr nuclear facility which is being built with Russian help and is not yet operational.

An Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman said the explosion was heard minutes after an Iranian aircraft flew over Deilam and had not been caused by a hostile attack.

“But we have no reason to say it’s a hostile attack. There is a big possibility that it was a friendly fire by mistake,” said Jahanbakhsh Khanjani.

“Several such mistaken friendly fire has been reported there in recent days,” he said.

The United States has expressed fears the Bushehr plant could help Tehran build nuclear weapons.