TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Videos uploaded to a social media website showed black smoke and flames coming from the oil refinery.
Mike Keane who recorded the events from his house told Reuters in an email that there was a sound "like a bomb went off" and when he went outside he saw flames and smoke.
Residents in the area reported an explosion and fire at the refinery, local media reported.
The company, which operates the 320,000 barrel-per-day refinery, was not immediately available for comment.