A 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck west of Bandar Abbas in Iran on Saturday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The quake occurred 74 kilometres west of Bandar Abbas at a depth of 10 kilometres, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties following the tremor.

Second earthquake in a week

This is the second earthquake reported in Iran within a few days. On Tuesday, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake shook the southern region of the country.

The earlier tremor was recorded in Gerash, located in Fars province in southern Iran. According to USGS, that quake also struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.21 miles).

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Iran lies along several major fault lines and experiences frequent seismic activity. Minor to moderate earthquakes are not uncommon in different parts of the country.

Quake occurs amid regional tensions

The latest tremor comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel entering a week of escalation.

The situation intensified after airstrikes carried out by Israel and the US, followed by retaliatory actions across the region. Overnight strikes between February 28 and March 1 reportedly resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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Several Gulf countries, including Kuwait, Oman, the UAE and Qatar, remain on alert as fears of further strikes persist. Residents in Dubai and Qatar also received mobile alerts on Thursday warning of a possible missile attack, which was later ruled out.

The ongoing conflict has led to over 1,200 deaths in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon, and around a dozen in Israel, AP cited the officials of those countries as saying.