A small earthquake struck the Iranian port town of Assaluyeh, a centre for the petrochemical and oil industries and near the South Pars gas field, but did not appear to have caused any damage, Iranian media reported.

The 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck at 3:55 p.m. (1225 GMT) near Assaluyeh and surrounding villages, the Fars news agency reported. Many residents left their homes for fear of aftershocks, Fars said.

Abdollah Naderi, a local official, told Fars there were no casualties or major damage in Assaluyeh.

"And from what we have heard from municipal and village authorities, luckily there has been no damage," Naderi was quoted as saying.

Iran is prone to earthquakes, sometimes with heavy casualties and serious damage to infrastructure.-Reuters