A massive explosion, likely caused by the ignition of chemical materials, killed at least 14 people and injured some 750 on Saturday at iran’s largest port, Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian state media.
The blast struck the Shahid Rajaee terminal of the port as Iran was engaged in a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman.
However, there was no indication of a connection between the two events.
Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran’s Crisis Management Organization, attributed the explosion to poor storage practices.
“The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers,” Zafari told Iran’s ILNA news agency.
He added that the Director General of Crisis Management had previously warned the port authorities about the risks during earlier inspections.
Despite these statements, an Iranian government spokesperson said that while chemicals likely triggered the blast, the exact cause remained under investigation.
President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered a full inquiry into the incident and dispatched his interior minister to the scene. Authorities said firefighting efforts were ongoing to extinguish the blaze and prevent it from spreading further.