Pentagon Locks Down, Then Opens Up After "Hazardous Materials" False Alarm

Part of the Pentagon, which serves as the headquarters of the United States Department of Defence, went into a lockdown on Thursday because of a "hazardous materials incident", according to a report by news agency AFP. However, later a spokesman said that it was a false alarm.

In a post on X, the Arlington County Fire Department said that it had units, including their Hazardous Materials Team, operating at the Pentagon during the incident.

"ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA's Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident," the post read.

The Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the building's safety systems "have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance".

He further said that the Defence Department "is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area".

Response teams are ready to support building occupants, he added.

However, the exact nature of the hazardous materials incident or the cause of the reported air quality issue has not been disclosed by the authorities.

Trump's Warning To Iran

The incident comes at a time when the United States remains engaged in an active, large-scale military conflict with Iran. US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the US would hit Iran "very hard tonight" to take total control of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island, in the "not too distant future".

The US and Iran traded strikes for a second day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.

It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the US and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.