MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A large explosion and hearth rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran purportedly linked to a cargo of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing 25 folks and injuring round 800 others.
Helicopters and plane dumped water from the air on the raging hearth by means of the night time into Sunday morning on the Shahid Rajaei port. The explosion occurred simply as Iran and the USA met Saturday in Oman for the third spherical of negotiations over Tehran’s quickly advancing nuclear program.
Nobody in Iran outright steered that the explosion got here from an assault. Nonetheless, even Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, on Wednesday acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.”
State media provided the casualty figures, saying authorities recognized solely 10 of the useless, together with two ladies.
In the meantime, state TV reported the fireplace was below management and might be totally extinguished later Sunday. It additionally mentioned actions have resumed on the port, exhibiting footage of containers of a business ship being unloaded.
There have been few particulars on what sparked the blaze simply exterior of Bandar Abbas, inflicting different containers to reportedly explode.
Non-public safety agency Ambrey says the port acquired missile gas chemical in March. It’s a part of a cargo of ammonium perchlorate from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the Monetary Instances. The chemical used to make strong propellant for rockets was going for use to replenish Iran’s missile shares, which had been depleted by its direct assaults on Israel throughout the battle with Hamas within the Gaza Strip.
“The fire was reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey mentioned.
In a primary response Sunday, the spokesman of Iran’s protection ministry Gen. Reza Talaeinik, denied experiences that missile gas had been imported by means of the port.
“No sort of imported and exporting consignment for fuel or military application was (or) is in the site of the port,” he advised state TV by cellphone. He referred to as overseas experiences on the missile gas baseless.
Ship-tracking information analyzed by The Related Press put one of many vessels believed to be carrying the chemical within the neighborhood in March, as Ambrey mentioned. Iran hasn’t acknowledged taking the cargo.
It’s unclear why Iran wouldn’t have moved the chemical compounds from the port, notably after the Beirut port blast in 2020. That explosion, brought on by the ignition of a whole lot of tons of extremely explosive ammonium nitrate, killed greater than 200 folks and injured greater than 6,000 others. Nonetheless, Israel did goal Iranian missile websites the place Tehran makes use of industrial mixers to create strong gas.
Social media footage of the explosion on Saturday at Shahid Rajaei noticed reddish-hued smoke rising from the fireplace simply earlier than the detonation. That implies a chemical compound being concerned within the blast, like within the Beirut explosion.
“Get back, get back! Tell the gas (truck) to go!” a person in a single video shouted simply earlier than the blast. “Tell him to go, it’s going to blow up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!”
An aerial shot launched by Iranian media after the blast confirmed fires burning at a number of places within the port, with authorities later warning about air air pollution from chemical compounds akin to ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide within the air. Faculties and workplaces in Bandar Abbas might be closed Sunday as nicely.
Port is a serious vacation spot for Iranian cargo
Shahid Rajaei has been a goal earlier than. A 2020 cyberattack attributed to Israel focused the port. It got here after Israel mentioned that it thwarted a cyberattack focusing on its water infrastructure, which it attributed to Iran. Israeli officers didn’t reply to requests for remark relating to Saturday’s explosion.
Social media movies confirmed black billowing smoke after the blast. Others confirmed glass blown out of buildings kilometers, or miles, away from the epicenter of the explosion. State media footage confirmed the injured crowding into at the very least one hospital, with ambulances arriving as medics rushed one individual by on a stretcher.
Hasanzadeh, the provincial catastrophe administration official, earlier advised state tv that the blast got here from containers at Shahid Rajaei port within the metropolis, with out elaborating. State tv additionally reported that there had been a constructing collapse brought on by the explosion, although no additional particulars had been provided.
The Inside Ministry mentioned that it launched an investigation into the blast. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian additionally provided his condolences to these affected within the blast.
Shahid Rajaei port in Hormozgan province is about 1,050 kilometers (650 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the slim mouth of the Persian Gulf by means of which 20% of all oil traded passes.
