Three people including a police officer were reportedly killed as protests erupted in Iran's southwestern province of Khuzestan over water shortages. There were reports of anti-government protests in Tehran as the country faces the worst drought in 50 years accelerating the water crisis with the economy already hit by US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.

Protests erupt in Iran over water crisis; at least three killed

Southwest Iran was struck with 5.7-magnitude earthquake on Monday at 11:30am, the country's national seismological centre reported. The quake's epicentre was in the Masjed Soleiman area of Khuzestan province at a depth of 17 kilometres.

Southwest Iran hit by 5.7-magnitude earthquake

Five people were killed and six others wounded in a gas pipeline explosion Thursday near the city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran, state news agency IRNA reported. "The gas pipes blew up about 200 metres (yards) from the road.

Five dead, six wounded in Iran gas pipeline explosion