A massive explosion and fire at Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iran on Saturday killed 14 people and injured more than 750 others, authorities said, in an incident reportedly linked to a shipment of missile fuel chemicals.
Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, confirmed the updated casualty figures on state television, raising the initial toll from four dead and over 500 injured. The blast occurred near Bandar Abbas as Iranian and US officials held a third round of nuclear negotiations in Oman.
While Iranian officials did not immediately attribute the explosion to an attack, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, leading the nuclear talks, said on Wednesday that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.”
Authorities offered no clear cause for the blast but denied any link to the country’s oil industry. However, private security firm Ambrey reported that the port had received a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” from China in March, intended to replenish Iran’s missile stockpiles after its direct attacks on Israel during the Gaza conflict.
“The fire was reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey said. Ship-tracking data analysed by the Associated Press supported Ambrey’s account, showing one of the vessels carrying the fuel in the area in March. Iran has not publicly acknowledged receiving the shipment, and its mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment.
Footage circulating on social media showed reddish smoke rising before the explosion, suggesting chemical involvement. In one video, a man shouted: “Get back get back! Tell the gas (truck) to go! Tell him to go, it’s going to blow up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!”
Later, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency cited the Customs Administration blaming a “stockpile of hazardous goods and chemical materials stored in the port area” for the explosion, without further elaboration.
Shahid Rajaei port, a major hub for Iranian cargo, has been targeted before, including a 2020 cyberattack attributed to Israel. Saturday’s explosion blew out windows miles away, caused building collapses, and left hospitals crowded with the injured, according to state media reports.
The Interior Ministry said it had launched an investigation into the incident. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian offered his condolences to those affected.
Located in Hormozgan province, Shahid Rajaei port lies about 1,050 kilometers southeast of Tehran on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for 20% of the world’s traded oil.
