A major fire broke out on Saturday at Iran’s notorious Evin prison, known for housing political prisoners, journalists and foreign nationals.
Videos shared online showed flames and smoke at the site in Tehran, and gunshots and explosions could be heard.
An official quoted by state media said the situation was under control, but video footage appeared to show the fire continuing after this.
Iran has been gripped for weeks by anti-government protests.
They first erupted last month after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Amini in police custody. Officials said she died of a heart attack, but her family disputed this, saying she was beaten by morality police.
BBC Persian’s Rana Rahimpour said it is not yet known whether the situation at the prison is linked to the recent demonstrations.
But this could easily be the case, Rana said, as hundreds of the protesters have been sent to Evin.
State media has suggested the two are not linked, quoting an official who blamed…
This article was written by and originally published on www.bbc.co.uk