Iran has said negligence and failure to follow safety rules caused the massive explosion on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas. Eskandar Momeni, a top official, explained that the blast—which killed 70 people and injured over 1,000—happened due to safety lapses and carelessness.
He added that some people believed to be responsible had already been called in for questioning.
According to customs officials, the explosion began when imported goods at the port caught fire and exploded. However, the Ministry of Defence has rejected claims from foreign sources that the cargo was missile fuel.
Hormozgan province’s emergency manager, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, said on Monday that the fire was almost fully under control. But Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani warned that clean-up efforts could take days, and the port might not return to normal for another one or two weeks. He said about two-thirds of the port—roughly 1,500 hectares—was badly damaged.
Iran’s Customs Administration said the cargo that exploded had not been properly registered or declared before the blast, as reported by Isna news agency.
The CEO of the company working in the affected area, Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, said the explosion happened due to repeated mistakes and the wrong labeling of dangerous goods.
While reports claim the explosion involved sodium perchlorate, a chemical used in missile fuel, Iran’s defence ministry strongly denied it. A spokesperson, Brig Gen Reza Talai-Nik, said there were no military cargoes in that area and accused foreign media of spreading lies.
However, a private risk assessment group, Ambrey Intelligence, told the Associated Press that the port had received a shipment of sodium perchlorate last month, and the explosion likely resulted from mishandling it. The New York Times also quoted a source linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who confirmed that sodium perchlorate was involved in the blast.
