Explosion at Iranian Port Tied to Missile Materials Leaves 8 Dead, Hundreds Injured

A powerful blast followed by a massive fire erupted over Shabbos at a port in southern Iran, reportedly connected to a shipment of chemicals used in missile fuel production. The incident resulted in eight deaths and approximately 750 injuries.

Hours after the initial blast near Bandar Abbas, helicopters were still battling the intense fire from above at Shahid Rajaei port. The explosion occurred while Iranian and U.S. officials were meeting in Oman for their third round of discussions concerning Tehran’s swiftly advancing nuclear ambitions.

While no Iranian officials openly accused anyone of orchestrating an attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who headed the negotiations, remarked 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.”

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni announced the number of casualties during an interview broadcast on state TV. Authorities released little information about the cause of the fire, which raged into Saturday night and reportedly triggered secondary explosions among other containers.