Death toll reaches 70 in Chahid Rajaï port blast, Iran
Whirlwind in Iran's Busiest Commerce Hub
A catastrophic explosion rocked Iran's most bustling commerce center on a sultry Saturday, leaving at least 70 souls in its wake, as shared by Iran's minister of interior on Monday, the 28th of April. The earlier estimation of fatalities had pegged the toll at 65.
Over 48 hours post-calamity, the flames seemingly on the cusp of being snuffed out by firefighters according to Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the crisis management director for Hormozgan province, as declared on a state-televised broadcast in the evening.
The detonation resounded throughout tens of kilometers, taking place around noontime at a wharf within Shahid Rajai Port, a crucial corridor facilitating a fifth of the world's oil production and handling 85% of Iran's merchandise.
Official accounts have indicated more than a thousand injuries, with most patients discharged from hospitals, as per Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the Hormozgan province's crisis management zar. "Only 120 wounded remain hospitalized", declared Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, currently visiting the zone. "Some miscreants have been apprehended and invited (...). Inefficiencies, particularly the disregard of safety protocols and negligence", he added.
Explore Further |Exploration of the blast at Shahid Rajai Port
On Monday, firemen were still grappling with the fire that engulfed the area since Saturday. Dark plumes of smoke continued to billow from the towering cargo containers, as viewed in live images transmitted by the state television channel on the 28th of April. After quelling the inferno, "we shall proceed to clean the site and assess the extent of the damage", explained the broadcast.
Located near the coastal city of Bandar-e Abbas (South), on the Strait of Hormuz, about a thousand miles south of Tehran, the Ministry of Health had urged the approximately 650,000 inhabitants to stay indoors "until further notice" due to potential toxic fumes. A blood donation drive has been initiated for the wounded.
Delve Deeper | Details on Iran's explosion
Hazardous Elements
The cause behind the detonation remains shrouded in mystery, but port customs have intimated that a blaze in the warehouse storing dangerous and chemical substances could be the culprit. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, has ordered an investigation into the incident to scrutinize if the disaster was due to "negligence" or "malevolence".
The New York Times, citing an unidentified source close to the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's paramilitary force, alleged that the explosion was caused by sodium perchlorate, a material found in solid missile fuels. The Ministry of Defense, however, stated that there was "no military cargo (...) in the blast site" during the time of the detonation.
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As per the Washington Post, Israel had launched a cyberattack against Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020. Although the theory of subterfuge hasn't been endorsed by Tehran regarding the Saturday blast, the incident coincided with critical debates surrounding Iran's nuclear program, with Iran and the United States, adversaries for over four decades, deliberating in Oman.
Also read | VIP-reserved article "Reconstructing Donald Trump's Policy on Iran's Nuclear Program" with AFP on our website.
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- The explosion at Shahid Rajai Port, a crucial commerce center in Iran's Hormozgan province, has led to the hospitalization of more than 120 individuals, as per Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, with most miscreants caught and questioned for potential shortcomings in safety protocols.
- A subsequent investigation ordered by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, aims to determine whether the explosion was due to negligence or malevolence, with reports suggesting a possible fire in a warehouse containing dangerous chemicals as the cause.
- The detonation, which took place on a sultry Saturday and resounded throughout tens of kilometers, has sparked political discussions, given its location within a key oil production and merchandise handling facility, just when Iran and the United States were deliberating on critical nuclear program matters.
- Amidst general-news reports of the disaster, allegations have surfaced regarding a possible cyberattack by Israel on Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020, although Tehran has yet to endorse this theory for the recent Saturday blast.
