Powerful explosion at Iran port kills at least 14 people and injures 750

According to state news agency IRNA, a powerful explosion and fire at Iran’s largest commercial left at least 14 people dead and 750 others injured.

More than 1, 000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Tehran’s capital, the Shahid Rajaei port, where helicopters dumped water on the raging fire on Saturday.

According to Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management organization, the explosion was brought on by the lack of proper chemical storage at Shahid Rajaei.

He claimed to Iran’s ILNA news agency that the chemicals inside the containers were the cause of the explosion.

Zafari said the director general of crisis management had previously warned this port during their travels and pointed out the possibility of danger.

However, an Iranian government spokesman claimed that the blast was likely caused by chemicals, but it was still difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sent his interior minister, who claimed the fire was still being worked out to stop it from spreading to other areas, to launch an investigation into the incident.

According to Press TV, the fire at Shahid Rajaei Port in southern Iran increased about 10 hours after the explosion.

Schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, the provincial capital of Hormozgan, have been ordered to close on Sunday because choking smoke is spreading throughout the area, according to Press TV, to allow authorities to concentrate on the need. They are located 14 kilometers away.

According to a statement from the National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Company, the blast did not affect the nearby oil facilities.

The company claimed that Shahid Rajaei Port’s explosion and fire have no connection to any refineries, storage facilities, distribution centers, or oil pipelines connected to this business.

Esmaeil Malekizadeh, a representative for the Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration, claimed the explosion occurred close to the Shahid Rajaei port dock earlier.

A ball of fire was visible rising from the explosion site in a large plume of black smoke from a social media video.

Buildings and vehicles were also damaged in other videos. In addition to checking the damage to the properties, several people were seen in the area looking after the injured.

The Shahid Rajaei port, which primarily handles container traffic, also has petrochemical facilities like oil tanks.

Israel is accused of carrying out a significant cyberattack on the same port in May 2020, which halted travel for days after the facility’s computer system was destroyed.

As Iranian officials continue to discuss a potential new nuclear deal with American officials, the explosion occurs at a sensitive time.