By Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=164213555
A massive explosion and fire erupted Saturday at a southern Iran port, reportedly triggered by a shipment containing a chemical used in missile propellant, leaving at least 14 dead and around 750 injured. According to Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni via Telegram, the blast caused significant casualties, with 14 confirmed fatalities and 750 people hurt, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
The explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei port occurred Saturday as Iranian and U.S. officials held a third round of high-stakes nuclear talks in Oman, focused on Tehran’s accelerating nuclear program. Although Iranian authorities have not officially labeled the blast as an attack, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the negotiations, admitted on Wednesday that Iran’s security forces remain on high alert due to previous sabotage and assassination attempts aimed at triggering a justified response.
Videos shared on social media captured thick black smoke rising after the massive explosion, while other footage showed shattered glass in buildings located miles from the blast site. For several hours, Iranian officials provided no definitive cause for the explosion at the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas, though they firmly denied any connection to Iran’s oil industry
Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a disaster management official, told Iranian state TV that emergency teams were working to access the affected area and evacuate the site following the explosion. He stated the blast originated from shipping containers at Rajaei port but did not provide further details. State TV also mentioned a building collapse linked to the explosion, though specifics were not immediately released. Rajaei port, located about 1,050 kilometers southeast of Tehran on the strategic Strait of Hormuz—through which around 20% of global oil trade passes—was rocked by the explosion as Iran and the U.S. held their third round of nuclear negotiations in Oman on Saturday.
