Two earthquakes strike Iran near nuclear power plant — just hours after country fired missiles at US troops

A pair of earthquakes hit Iran Wednesday morning near a nuclear power plant — just hours after the country fired missiles at U.S. military facilities in Iraq in retaliation for killing bloodthirsty Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.

What are the details?

The first quake measuring 4.9 magnitude struck just before 9 a.m. local time in Bushehr province, CNN reported, citing the United States Geological Survey.

About 30 minutes later a second quake measuring 4.5 magnitude struck the same province, which runs along the coastline in southwestern Iran, the cable network added.

The epicenters were within 12 miles of the city of Borazjan, which sits near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, CNN said, adding that a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit the same region less than two weeks ago.

Bushehr is Iran's first nuclear plant and the first civilian reactor in the Middle East, CNN noted.

More from the cable network:

Iran is no stranger to tectonic activity. The country sits on a major fault line between the Arabian and Eurasian plates, and has experienced many earthquakes in the past.

In November, at least five people died and 330 others injured when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Iran.

A quake that struck near the Iran-Iraq border in November 2017 killed at least 452 people.

The deadliest quake this century occurred in 2003, when a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the southeastern Iranian city of Bam, killing some 26,000 people.

Here's a report on the Bushehr nuclear power plant when it opened in 2011 amid international controversy and concern:

Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant opensyoutu.be