Tehran - A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran on Wednesday near Bandar Abbas, the site of a major Iranian oil refinery, the United States Geological Service said.
Iran's state-owned Press TV described the tremor as strong but said there were no reports of casualties. The Fars news agency quoted an Iranian official as saying the quake measured 7.5 on the Richter scale.
Magnitude 6 quakes are capable of causing severe damage. USGS said the earthquake hit at 11am about 50km west-southwest of Bandar Abbas at a depth of 55km.
Bandar Abbas is a major Iranian port with oil installations including a refinery.
State radio reported the quake was 46km west of Bandar Abbas and people ran panicking into the streets.
Residents in the United Arab Emirates, across the Gulf from Iran, reported feeling a slight tremor. Bankers and office workers evacuated buildings in Dubai, eyewitnesses said.
A number of seismological fault lines cross Iran. In 2003, about 31 000 people were killed when a tremor struck the historic city of Bam, 1 000km south-east of Tehran.