Blast, fire at Iran refinery as Ahmadinejad visits

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An explosion blamed on a technical problem caused a fire at an oil refinery in Iran during a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Six people were injured but Ahmadinejad was not hurt and appeared on state television giving a scheduled speech to mark the inauguration of a new phase of the refinery in Abadan, south-western Iran, close to the Iraqi border.

Thick smoke was seen rising from the refinery, but firefighters had the blaze under control, Fars said.

Any damage to the plant would have no impact on oil exports from the world's fifth-biggest exporter as it is involved in producing gasoline, mostly for domestic consumption.

Ahmadinejad's presence at the inauguration shows the importance Tehran places on increasing its oil refining capacity at a time when international sanctions have squeezed its ability to import the automotive fuel.

(Reporting by Hossein Jaseb; Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Matthew Jones)