The the quake hit the town of Arianshahr near Birjand, some 800 miles (1,280 km) southeast of Tehran.
The official Islamic Republic News Agency said it had a magnitude of 5.1 and occurred at 7:21 a.m. local time. At least 11 aftershocks were felt during the following two hours.
"The earthquake and its aftershocks caused considerable damage to houses and commercial buildings in towns and villages," Mohammad Ali Akhundi told the Fars News Agency
"Even some of the newly built housing units have been damaged and deep cracks have appeared in their structures, which have made them unsafe," he added.
