Massive Fire Breaks Out In Tehran, Plume of Thick Black Smoke Seen | Watch

Tehran: A massive fire broke out in Iran's Tehran province on Wednesday, as thick black smoke was seen rising over a building in Parand city, state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported.

While there were initial claims that a powerful explosion was also heard, the incident led to widespread attention especially in the backdrop of frictions between Iran and the US over nuclear frictions.

According to the Parand Fire Department, firefighters were trying to douse the flames, and operations were underway to contain it. There were no immediate reports on casualties related to the incident.

"The black smoke ​seen near the ​city ‌of Parand is the ​result of ⁠a fire in ‌the reeds ​around ​the Parand river bank... fire fighters are on site and the ‌fire extinguishing operation is underway", the state ‌media cited ​the Parand fire department as saying.

Earlier in the day, a loud explosion was heard in a mountainous area of Iran's Shiraz province, and no official cause has been identified. Several mysterious blasts were reported near Tehran in the last weeks, raising concerns.

Iran-US Nuclear Friction

Amid the nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, an US official said that Iran would return to the negotiation table with detailed proposals to address the gaps, underlining that progress was made on the nuclear deal.

"Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss. The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions," the official said.

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law to President Donald Trump, also held discussions with Iranian authorities in Geneva on Tuesday as President Donald Trump issued a stern warning on the "consequences of not making a deal" ahead of critical diplomatic negotiations scheduled to take place in Geneva. He also asked Iran to be "reasonable" in the next round of talks over the nuclear deal, reminding Tehran of the June 2025 B-2 bomber attack.

In a series of provocative posts on X, Khamenei challenged Trump's frequent assertions of military dominance, saying, "The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again."

Iran and the United States held the previous rounds of nuclear talks in April 2025. The Iranian nuclear deal dates back to July 2015, when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran and several world powers, including the United States, which capped Tehran's enrichment level at 3.67 per cent and reduced its uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms. The deal collapsed in 2018 with Trump's unilateral withdrawal of the US from the accord. 

Washington Expands Military Footprint

Meanwhile, the United States has ramped up its military footprint in the Middle East, by deploying several fighter jets and warships and defenses, and are prepared for any escalation if their talks with Tehran collapses. The reports of fire incidents near some key sites in the region have intensified speculations about any potential attack in the region, given the volatile attack. (With ANI inputs)

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