The death toll from a devastating explosion at Iran's largest port, Bandar Abbas, has risen to at least 40, with over 1,200 others injured, state media reported Sunday, as firefighters continued working to fully extinguish the blaze.
The blast, which occurred Saturday in the Shahid Rajaee section of the port – Iran's primary container hub – shattered windows for miles, ripped metal strips off shipping containers, and severely damaged goods inside, according to state media.
The explosion took place amid ongoing third-round nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. in Oman.
Fires continued to break out in different parts of the affected area as of Sunday night, state media reported, with helicopters and firefighters still working to extinguish them.
Chemicals at the port were suspected to have fueled the explosion, but the exact cause was unclear, and Iran's Defense Ministry denied international media reports linking the blast to mishandled solid fuel used for missiles.
A ministry spokesperson told state TV the reports were "aligned with enemy psyops," adding that the blast-hit area did not contain any military cargo.
The Associated Press (AP) cited British security firm Ambrey, which said the port had received sodium perchlorate in March, a chemical used to propel ballistic missiles, whose mishandling could have led to the explosion.
The Financial Times reported in January that two Iranian vessels from China carried enough of the ingredient to fuel as many as 260 mid-range missiles, helping Tehran replenish stocks following its missile attacks on Israel in 2024.
Plumes of black smoke rose above the site on Sunday, and pieces of twisted metal and debris lay scattered across the blast site.
By early afternoon, the head of Iran's Red Crescent Society told state media the fire was 90% extinguished, and officials said port activities had resumed in unaffected parts of Shahid Rajaee.
A spokesperson for the country's crisis management organization appeared on Saturday to blame the explosion on poor chemical storage in containers at Shahid Rajaee, adding that earlier warnings had highlighted potential safety risks.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani cautioned against "premature speculation," saying final assessments would be shared after investigations.
Negligence has often been cited in deadly incidents affecting Iranian energy and industrial infrastructure in recent years.
"Did we really have to hold the container here for 3-4 months... until we had 120-140 thousand containers stored in this place?" Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said after arriving in Bandar Abbas on Sunday.
Incidents in the country have included refinery fires, a gas explosion at a coal mine, and an emergency repair incident at Bandar Abbas that killed one worker in 2023.
Iran has blamed some incidents on Israel, which has carried out attacks on Iranian soil targeting Iran's nuclear program in recent years and bombed the country's air defenses last year.
