Blast rocks southern Iranian university
TEHRAN, June 20 (Reuters) - A blast rocked the university campus in
the southern Iranian city of Shiraz on Tuesday, but there were no immediate
reports of injury, local journalists said.
They told Reuters by telephone the explosion occurred in a lecture hall
at the college of literature, scene on June 17 of an address by a prominent
Islamic modernist who has often been the target of hardline violence.
However, officials were not available for comment on any possible link
between the blast, which touched off a large fire, and the speech by Abdolkarim
Soroush.
Islamic Iran marked the birth of the Prophet Mohammad on Tuesday and
the University of Shiraz lecture hall would almost certainly have been
deserted at the time of the explosion.
The journalists said three fire companies were battling the blaze, which
ignited after the blast around 2:30 p.m. (1000 GMT).
Shiraz, capital of Fars province, has also been the scene for a high-profile
trial of 13 Iranian Jews on charges of spying for Israel. A verdict in
that case is expected shortly.
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