Explosion at Iranian port leaves 8 dead, over 750 injured
On a fateful Saturday, April 26, a mighty explosion, its origin still shrouded in mystery, rocked a major commercial harbor in southern Iran, as per state television reports. The blast struck at 12:30 PM (10:30 AM Paris time) in the bustling Shahid Rajai port, adjacent to the bustling city of Bandar-e Abbas. As of the evening's preliminary tally, announced by Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, the carnage amounted to at least 14 fatalities and a staggering 750 wounded individuals.
Unofficial sources suggest that the disaster may be attributed to a fire in a warehouse filled with hazardous and chemical materials. Firefighters were grappling with the inferno, which was apparently intensifying, as per state television updates. Warnings sounded, hinting, "It's possible that the fire might surge to other regions and additional containers."
Following the catastrophe, First Vice-Minister Mohammad Reza Aref-Yazdi has ordered an exhaustive investigation to pinpoint the exact cause of the calamity and the ensuing destruction.
Shahid Rajai port, positioned over a thousand kilometers south of the capital, Tehran, is known as Iran's largest commercial harbor, according to official news agency IRNA. Over 80% of Iran's goods traverse this port, which lies near the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit through which a fifth of the world's oil production flows.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian sent heartfelt sympathies to the victims of the incident on the social network X, stating that Eskandar Momeni will journey to the disaster site. State television aired footage of a monstrous black cloud of smoke billowing into the sky above the port. Video footage from surveillance cameras, shared by the Mehr agency, depicted an explosion within a hangar, spawning a thick cloud of smoke and dust. The blast was audible up to fifty kilometers away, as per the Fars news agency. According to Tasnim news agency, the shockwave was so powerful that it caused substantial damage to most of the port's structures.
The exact number of personnel on duty during the blast remains undisclosed, since Saturday is the first day of the week in Iran. As a precaution, all schools in the Bandar-e Abbas vicinity will be closed on the subsequent working day, as announced by the provincial emergency services chief, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh.
The national oil distribution company assured that the oil facilities escaped damage and are operating as usual.
This incident comes at a critical juncture when Iran is engaged in nuclear negotiations with the U.S., and its repercussions may significantly influence the Iranian regime's economy, particularly affecting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) activities at the port, including weapon transfers.
- The explosion in Shahid Rajai port, Tehran's largest commercial harbor, likely originated from a fire in a warehouse filled with hazardous and chemical materials.
- Unofficial sources suggest that this disaster may surge to other regions and additional containers, potentially causing more deaths and injuries.
- First Vice-Minister Mohammad Reza Aref-Yazdi has ordered an exhaustive investigation to determine the exact cause of the calamity and its potential political, general news, and war-and-conflicts implications, particularly concerning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' activities at the port.
- Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian's sympathies for the victims of the incident underscore the potentially significant repercussions of this event on the Iranian regime's economy.
