The devastating explosion that struck Iran’s largest port, Bandar Abbas, has left at least 40 dead and more than 1,000 people wounded, according to reports from Iranian state media on Sunday.
While investigations are still underway to uncover what triggered the blast, one Iranian lawmaker pointed the finger at Israel, alleging that explosives had been hidden inside shipping containers.
“Israel was involved in the explosion,” MP Mohammad Siraj stated to the Rokna news agency on Sunday. “It was not accidental. Clear evidence points to Israeli involvement.”
“There were explosives planted in the container, either in their country of origin or along the transportation route,” Siraj claimed. “We do not rule out the involvement of internal factors in planting the explosives in the containers. The explosion occurred at four different locations.”
Siraj did not offer proof to substantiate his allegations, while an Israeli source told Hebrew-language media that Israel had no involvement in the port explosion.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited those injured in the blast and flew over the site in an aircraft on Sunday to survey the damage.
“We have to find out why it happened,” Pezeshkian said during a televised meeting with officials broadcast by Iranian state television.
On Sunday, Provincial Governor Mohammad Ashouri confirmed that the number of fatalities had risen to 40, as reported by Iranian state TV. Pir Hossein Kolivand, who heads Iran’s Red Crescent, said only 190 out of approximately 1,000 injured victims remained hospitalized by Sunday, according to a government statement. Authorities also declared three days of national mourning.
The explosion rocked the Shahid Rajaee terminal at the port — Iran’s main container shipping hub — shattering windows several kilometers away, stripping metal from containers, and destroying much of the cargo, Iranian media reported.
As of Sunday afternoon, fire crews were still battling the flames, and recovery efforts continued as rescuers worked to retrieve bodies from the debris.
Officials said the blaze was largely contained but still smoldering, expressing hope it would be fully extinguished by the end of the day. Throughout the night, helicopters and large aircraft made repeated water drops over the burning area to try to put out the flames.
Initial reports from the port’s customs authority, cited by state television yesterday, suggested the explosion might have been caused by a fire in a warehouse that stored hazardous chemicals. Emergency personnel also noted that multiple containers had exploded.
The New York Times cited an individual connected to Iran’s IRGC, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the situation, reporting that sodium perchlorate — a crucial component for solid missile fuel — had detonated.
Private security firm Ambrey had already reported that the port had received a shipment of sodium perchlorate in March. The chemical cargo reportedly originated from China, carried by two vessels, according to earlier coverage by the Financial Times.
In response to the growing speculation, Iran’s Defense Ministry dismissed reports suggesting the blast was linked to missile fuel mishandling. A spokesman told Iranian state television that such claims were “aligned with enemy psyops” and insisted the affected area contained no military materials.
Offering Iran’s first official response on Sunday, military spokesman Gen. Reza Talaeinik flatly denied that missile fuel had been brought into the port.
“No sort of imported and exporting consignment for fuel or military application was (or) is in the site of the port,” he told state television over the phone.
Talaeinik labeled the foreign reports about missile fuel as baseless but did not provide any alternative explanation for what caused the catastrophic explosion. He promised further clarification would be given in time.
Footage circulating on social media from yesterday’s explosion showed reddish smoke rising before the detonation at Shahid Rajaei, a visual sign often associated with chemical reactions, similar to what was seen in the deadly Beirut port blast.
Observers questioned why the chemicals had not been promptly removed from the site, especially in light of the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020, where the ignition of ammonium nitrate killed over 200 and injured thousands more.
Israel has in the past targeted Iranian sites involved in missile production, including facilities where solid fuel is manufactured, notably following Tehran’s large-scale missile barrage aimed at Israel last October.
{Matzav.com}