At least eight people have been killed and more than 50 wounded in an explosion in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, Iranian media reports say.
At least eight people have been killed and more than 50 wounded in an explosion in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, Iranian media reports say.
The blast occurred in a mosque in the city either during or after evening prayers, the reports said.
The blast reportedly occurred during an address by a cleric in the Hoseyniyeh Shohada religious centre in the city.
Iran's Fars news agency was quoted as saying that the explosion was caused by a bomb. It said at least three of the wounded were seriously hurt.
Officials told the semi-official Fars news agency the explosion was caused by a bomb. It said at least three of the wounded were seriously hurt.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
Fars said the death toll was expected to climb.
Fars said the death toll was expected to climb. An initial Iranian television report said scores had been killed, but later revised its death toll to "several".
Shiraz is a major tourist destination because of its closeness to a number of important ancient sites.
Weekly meeting
Deadly bomb attacks are unusual in Iran. The last major bombing was by suspected Sunni rebels in the south-eastern city of Zahedan in February last year.
Fars said the explosion occurred at around 2100 (1630 GMT) and could be heard a mile (1.5km) away. The Irna news agency said it broke the windows of nearby houses.
Thirteen members of the Revolutionary Guard were killed in that blast, which was caused by a car bomb.
Most of those inside the religious centre were young boys and girls affiliated to the Rahpoyan-e Vesal Association, which "holds weekly meetings every Saturday regarding misguided groups, including Wahhabis and Baha'is", Fars added.
Members of the Law Enforcement Force and the Basij militia have placed a cordon around the area. The Fars governor-general's office has also held an emergency meeting.
Shiraz, about 900km (560 miles) south of the capital Tehran, is a major tourist destination because of its closeness to a number of important ancient sites.
It has not been, however, been a target of the isolated bomb attacks which have occurred in Iran in recent years.
The last major bombing was by suspected Sunni separatist rebels in the south-eastern city of Zahedan in February last year.
Thirteen members of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed the car bombing.
The south-western city of Ahwaz, close to the Iraqi border, has seen sporadic anti-government violence since 2005, allegedly by ethnic minority Arabs.
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