A massive explosion in a port in southern Iran on Saturday killed at least 14 people and injured more than 700, according to state media, and touched a large fire at the country’s most important import hub.
A person with bonds with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Iran said that what was exploding was sodium supercar, an important ingredient in solid rocket fuel. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security issues.
The State News Agency of the Islamic Republic said an employee saying that the explosion was probably started by chemicals, but did not recognize the chemicals. What caused them to trigger was not clear, but the Iranian authorities did not suggest that it was sabotage or deliberate attack.
Ambrey security company told the Associated Press that there were evidence that the explosion emerged from the inappropriate storage of superchloric sodium in the port. The Financial Times reported in January that China had sent the chemist to Iran, whose reserves of promotional rocket were exhausted last year, when its proxy, Hezbollah, started rockets in Israel.
The explosion and the fire sent huge clouds of black tobacco, according to a video from the scene distributed by Iranian broadcasting and videos from the social media verified by the New York Times. State media emissions have shown that the fire is still spreading through the port complex on Saturday night, several hours after the initial explosion.
The port is the largest of Iran and last year handled 85 % of the country’s containers, as well as a large part of its oil, according to the port and the shipping organization.
“Even a two -week duration for the operation of this strategic port, due to natural and operational disaster, can be extremely detrimental to the country’s economy,” writes Abdollah Babakhani, an investor in renewable energy and in a financial analyst, in a position in X.
Iran’s Heath ministry, citing airborne toxic pollutants, declared an emergency in Hormozgan province, asking people to stay indoors, keep windows closed and wear masks.
Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian president, said the country’s interior minister headed to the area to oversee an explosion investigation. He expressed “deep sadness and sympathy” for the deadly toll of the explosion.
Bandar Abbas is strategically located along its narrow Hormuz, where the Persian Gulf meets the Gulf of Oman – a busy lane for oil and natural gas.
In 2020, Israel launched a Cyberettack that prevented businesses at the port of Shahid Rajaee as part of the long -term shadow with Iran. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for an comment on Saturday’s explosion.
However, in an obvious attempt to refute rumors of Israel’s involvement, the Iranian Attorney General’s office issued a statement denouncing “online activists” that spread rumors that undermined the “psychological security of society”.
The explosion came around the time when Americans and Iranian officials began meeting Oman on Saturday for a third round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Last week, the New York Times reported that Israel had planned to attack Iranian nuclear spaces just next month, but was floating by Mr Trump, who wanted to negotiate an agreement with Tehran. However, Mr Trump has also pledged to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, including military action, if necessary.
