An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 shook northeastern Iran on Thursday, state television said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The quake hit Sangan, a town of about 10,000 people near the border with Afghanistan, at a shallow depth of 8 km (5 miles), the broadcaster added.
"We have not received any reports of casualties until this moment, but a large area has been affected, which our survey teams are investigating," the head of the provincial emergency department, Hojjatali Shayanfar, told state TV, Reuters reported.
"Our near-final report is that about 14 villages have had very limited damage," said Morteza Salimi, head of rescue at Iran's Red Crescent.
"There are no casualties and most of the damage is walls collapsing in places where livestock is kept," he added.
Crisscrossed by major fault lines, Iran is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
According to Reuters, in 2003, a magnitude 6.6 quake in southeastern Kerman province killed 31,000 people and flattened the ancient city of Bam.
