A major explosion, likely resulting from chemical materials igniting, has led to at least eight fatalities and over 700 injuries at Iran’s largest port, Bandar Abbas, according to state media reports.
Hossein Zafari, a representative from Iran’s crisis management organization, suggested that improper storage of chemicals in containers at Shahid Rajaee port caused the blast.
He informed ILNA, an Iranian news agency, that “the explosion was triggered by the chemicals inside the containers.”
Zafari remarked that the crisis management director had previously issued warnings about potential dangers during visits to the port.
Nonetheless, a spokesperson from the Iranian government mentioned that while chemicals likely led to the explosion, the specific cause has not been conclusively determined.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has mandated an investigation into the incident and dispatched his interior minister, who stated that efforts are still underway to control the fire and stop it from spreading.
Official news outlets broadcasted images of a massive black and orange smoke cloud rising over the port after the explosion, alongside footage of an office building with blown-off doors and scattered debris.
Shahid Rajaee port is strategically located near the Strait of Hormuz and is Iran’s primary container terminal, managing most of the country’s shipping goods, as reported by state media.
The explosion shattered windows several kilometers away and was audible on Qeshm island, situated 26 km south of the port, according to Iranian media.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency shared footage depicting injured individuals on the road receiving assistance amid chaotic scenes.
State TV earlier indicated that inadequate management of flammable substances played a “contributing role” in the explosion.
A local crisis management official disclosed that the explosion occurred after multiple containers at the port detonated.
As rescue teams battled the flames, customs officials at the port noted that trucks were being cleared from the area and that the container yard involved probably housed “hazardous materials and chemicals.”
Operations at the port were suspended following the explosion, according to officials.
Various tragic incidents have recently affected Iran’s energy and industrial sectors, many of which, like Saturday’s explosion, are attributed to negligence.
These have included refinery fires, a gas blast in a coal mine, and an emergency incident in Bandar Abbas that resulted in a worker’s death in 2023.
Iran has accused Israel of being responsible for some other events, including attacks on Iranian soil aimed at disrupting the nuclear program and bombarding the country’s air defenses last year.
Iranian officials claim Israel was behind a February 2024 attack on Iranian gas pipelines, and in 2020, computers at Shahid Rajaee experienced a cyberattack.
The Washington Post suggested that Israel was likely responsible for that incident as a reprisal for an earlier Iranian cyberattack.
Officials stated that oil facilities were not impacted by Saturday’s explosion.
The National Iranian Petroleum Refining and Distribution Company confirmed in a statement that there was “no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes, or oil pipelines.”
