Strong earthquake hits Iran

Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Iranian flag in Tehran, Iran

A powerful quake of magnitude 6.3 struck southeastern Iran near the city of Kerman on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake, which was relatively shallow, was centered 31 miles (50 km) northeast of Kerman, which has a population of more than 821,000.

A magnitude 6.3 quake is considered strong and is capable of causing sever damage.