Seven ships burn in Iranian port city of Bushehr, local media reports

The blaze is the latest in a series of events that have damaged facilities in the country recently

No official has publicly said whether any of the incidents are linked, but they have acknowledged the frequency is uncommon (IRIB NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty I)

A large fire broke out at a shipyard in the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr on Wednesday, burning seven ships and sending plumes of black smoke billowing above the city skyline, according to videos and Iranian media reports.

It followed dozens of recent fires and explosions across Iran's forests, factories and military and nuclear facilities in the past three months that have rattled ordinary Iranians. Iranian officials have said some of the episodes may have been acts of sabotage but blamed weather, accidents and equipment malfunctions for the others.

On Tuesday, an aluminium factory in the industrial city of Lamard in Fars province caught fire. On Sunday, a fire broke out at petrochemical plant in Khuzestan province.

An explosion at the country’s top nuclear facility in Natanz two weeks ago damaged the structure where centrifuges were assembled and has been attributed to Israeli sabotage.

There have also been explosions at two power plants, a chlorine gas leak at a chemical plant and an explosion at a missile production factory at a military complex in Tehran.

Some Iranian officials have said privately that they suspected at least some of the fires and explosions were part of a US and Israeli military campaign against Iran, but no official has publicly said whether any of the incidents are linked or blamed any country or group for them.

Some analysts speculate that various enemies of the Iranian government – not just the US and Israel but possibly domestic groups as well – may be seizing the opportunity to stoke chaos.

“There is a belief that those who want regime change in Iran are throwing everything they have at Iran to see which one would stick,” said Foad Izadi, a conservative political analyst in Tehran. The waves of explosions and fires, he said, are “creating this sense of instability and chaos and insecurity”.

No casualties were reported from the shipyard fire Wednesday.

While government officials have not linked the fires and explosions, they have acknowledged that the number and frequency are unusual.

New York Times