The death toll from a huge explosion and fire at a major Iranian port has risen to 18, with more than 800 people injured, according to Iranian state television on Sunday.
The blast took place on Saturday at the Sina container yard, part of the Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, located over 1,000 kilometers south of Tehran.
Emergency teams said the fire is “under control but not extinguished,” with thick black smoke still pouring from the area, as reported live by a state TV correspondent.
Authorities initially reported 14 fatalities but later updated the number. Most of those hurt were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment, officials confirmed.
The explosion happened at the Shahid Rajaei section of the port just as Iran was starting a third round of nuclear talks with the U.S. in Oman. However, officials said there’s no evidence so far linking the two events.
Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management organization, pointed to poorly stored chemicals as the cause.
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“The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers,” he told Iran’s ILNA news agency.
He also noted, “Previously, the Director General of Crisis Management had warned this port during their visits and pointed out the possibility of danger.”
Another government spokesperson acknowledged chemicals were likely involved but said it’s still too early to pinpoint an exact cause.
In recent years, Iran has seen a string of deadly accidents involving its industrial and energy sectors, with many incidents, like Saturday’s blast, blamed on negligence.
Past tragedies have included refinery fires, a coal mine gas explosion, and an emergency repair mishap in Bandar Abbas that killed a worker in 2023.
While some accidents are linked to negligence, Iran has also accused Israel of targeting its infrastructure, especially around its nuclear program.
Tehran claims Israel was behind a February 2024 attack on Iranian gas pipelines. In 2020, a cyberattack disrupted computers at Shahid Rajaei port, an incident that The Washington Post suggested Israel carried out in retaliation for an earlier Iranian cyber strike.
Israel remains wary of the U.S.-Iran negotiations, demanding that Iran’s nuclear program be completely dismantled.
Iran insists its nuclear efforts are peaceful, although international observers warn the country is inching closer to nuclear weapons capability.
There has been no immediate response from Israel’s military or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office regarding any possible connection to Saturday’s explosion.
Thankfully, Iran’s oil facilities were unaffected. The National Iranian Petroleum Refining and Distribution Company confirmed the blast had “no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes, and oil pipelines.”