An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit central Iran on Monday and was felt in the capital Tehran as well as surrounding cities, state media reported.
The epicentre was reported to be 19 kilometres (12 miles) outside the clerical city of Qom and 143 kilometres from Tehran, the IRNA agency and state television said, citing the Tehran University geophysics institute.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The quake, which struck at 17:59 local time (14:29 GMT), was felt in the capital as well as other cities including Qom, Garmsar, Karaj and Kashan to the south.