Death Toll Rises to 5, Over 700 Injured in Iranian Port Explosion Amid U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks
Initial reports indicate that the fire and subsequent explosion were linked to a chemical shipment — specifically, “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” — received at the port in March.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A massive explosion and fire ripped through the Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iran on Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring more than 700 others, according to Iranian state media, as U.S. and Iranian officials held sensitive nuclear talks in Oman.
Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, confirmed the updated casualty toll during an interview on state television. The incident marks one of the most devastating industrial accidents in Iran in recent years, with injuries overwhelming local hospitals and damage reported kilometers away from the epicenter.
The blast, which occurred just outside Bandar Abbas, coincided with the third round of negotiations between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. While Iranian authorities have not officially linked the explosion to sabotage, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged earlier this week that security services were “on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations.”
According to the Associated Press (AP), Initial reports indicate that the fire and subsequent explosion were linked to a chemical shipment — specifically, “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” — received at the port in March. Private security firm Ambrey suggested that improper handling of this solid missile fuel, which had been transported from China, likely triggered the deadly blast. Iran has not publicly confirmed the receipt of this shipment.
Footage from the scene circulated widely on social media, showing reddish-colored smoke — a possible sign of chemical combustion — rising moments before a powerful detonation sent glass and debris flying over a wide area. Frantic voices could be heard in videos warning of an imminent blast just before the explosion rocked the port.
Late Saturday, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iran's Customs Administration blaming a "stockpile of hazardous goods and chemical materials" stored improperly at the port for the disaster. The Interior Ministry announced an official investigation into the incident, while President Masoud Pezeshkian offered condolences to the families of the victims.
Shahid Rajaei port, located in Iran’s Hormozgan province along the vital Strait of Hormuz, is the country’s most important shipping terminal. It had previously been targeted in a suspected Israeli cyberattack in 2020, underscoring its strategic vulnerability.
The disaster’s timing — coinciding with critical nuclear negotiations — and the nature of the materials involved are likely to fuel speculation over Iran’s missile programs and external threats, even as officials maintain that the cause remains under investigation.
As rescue operations continue and authorities work to assess the full extent of the damage, the deadly blast has again drawn attention to the perils of mishandling hazardous materials at major ports — a painful echo of the catastrophic Beirut port explosion of 2020.
