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A powerful explosion, reportedly linked to a shipment of chemical ingredients used to make rocket fuel, has killed at least 28 people and injured over 800 others in the port city of Bandar Abbas, in southern Iran.
Authorities in Iran have not given a clear explanation for the cause of the explosion on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaei port, however independent experts said it appeared to have been caused by improper storage of sodium perchlorate, an ingredient used in rocket fuel.
On Sunday, state media reported that the outbreak had been brought under control.
Shahid Rajaei Port is the busiest in Iran, as up to 80 percent of the country's maritime traffic passes through it.
Hossein Zafari, spokesman for Iran's crisis management organization, appeared to blame the explosion on improper storage of chemicals in port containers.
"The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers," he told the ILNA news agency.
"Previously, the director general of crisis management had given warnings about this port during his visits and had highlighted the possibility of danger," Zafari added.
According to private security firm Ambrey, the port had received a cargo of "rocket fuel" in March, which was to be used to resupply Iran's missile stockpiles following direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas - which is designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union - in the Gaza Strip.
Tehran has not officially acknowledged receiving such a shipment, but ship tracking data obtained by the Associated Press shows vessels believed to be carrying the chemical near the port in March.
Iran's Interior Ministry said it has launched an investigation into the port explosion.
Deadly incidents have hit Iran's energy and industrial infrastructure in recent years - such as gas explosions and fires at oil refineries - and negligence has been blamed for many of them.
However, Tehran has also blamed its arch-enemy, Israel, for some of the incidents, as it has carried out attacks on Iranian soil targeting the country's nuclear program.
Last year, Israel also bombed Iran's air defenses.
Iran accused Israel of an attack on gas pipelines in February 2024, as well as a major cyberattack on the Shahid Rajaei port in May 2020, which caused shipping chaos for several days after the port's computer system collapsed.
Rajaei Port is located about 1,050 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of all oil traded globally passes.
Local officials announced that all schools, universities and offices in Bandar Abbas will be closed on April 27./ REL
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