A Massive Explosion At An Iranian Port Linked To Missile Fuel Shipment Kills 5, Injures Over 700

A monolithic detonation and occurrence rocked a larboard Saturday successful confederate Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemic constituent utilized to make rocket propellant, sidesplitting 8 group and injuring astir 750 others.

Helicopters dumped h2o from nan aerial connected nan raging occurrence hours aft nan first explosion, which happened astatine nan Shahid Rajaei larboard conscionable arsenic Iran and the U.S. met Saturday successful Oman for nan 3rd information of negotiations complete Tehran’s quickly advancing atomic program.

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No 1 successful Iran outright suggested that nan detonation came from an attack. However, moreover Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led nan talks, connected Wednesday acknowledged that "our information services are connected precocious alert fixed past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a morganatic response."

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni gave nan casualty fig successful an question and reply connected authorities television. But location were fewer specifications connected what sparked nan blaze conscionable extracurricular of Bandar Abbas, which burned into Saturday night, causing different containers to reportedly explode.

Security patient says larboard received chemic for rocket fuel

The larboard took successful a shipment of "sodium perchlorate rocket fuel" successful March, nan backstage information patient Ambrey said. The substance is portion of a shipment from China by 2 vessels to Iran first reported successful January by nan Financial Times. The substance was going to beryllium utilized to replenish Iran's rocket stocks, which had been depleted by its nonstop attacks connected Israel during nan warfare pinch Hamas successful nan Gaza Strip.

In this photograph provided by Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) firefighters activity arsenic achromatic fume rises successful nan entity aft a monolithic detonation rocked a larboard adjacent nan confederate metropolis of Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday.  (Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/IRNA via AP)

"The occurrence was reportedly nan consequence of improper handling of a shipment of coagulated substance intended for usage successful Iranian ballistic missiles," Ambrey said.

Ship-tracking information analyzed by The Associated Press put 1 of nan vessels believed to beryllium carrying nan chemic successful nan vicinity successful March, arsenic Ambrey said. Iran hasn't acknowledged taking nan shipment. The Iranian ngo to nan United Nations didn't respond to a petition for remark connected Saturday.

It's unclear why Iran wouldn't person moved nan chemicals from nan port, peculiarly aft nan Beirut larboard blast successful 2020. That explosion, caused by nan ignition of hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, killed much than 200 group and injured much than 6,000 others. However, Israel did target Iranian rocket sites wherever Tehran uses business mixers to create coagulated fuel.

Social media footage of nan detonation connected Saturday astatine Shahid Rajaei saw reddish-hued fume rising from nan occurrence conscionable earlier nan detonation. That suggests a chemic compound being progressive successful nan blast — for illustration successful nan Beirut explosion.

"Get backmost get back! Tell nan state (truck) to go!" a man successful 1 video shouted conscionable earlier nan blast. "Tell him to go, it’s going to rustle up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!"

On Saturday night, nan state-run IRNA news agency said that nan Customs Administration of Iran blamed a "stockpile of hazardous equipment and chemic materials stored successful nan larboard area" for nan blast, without elaborating.

An aerial changeable released by Iranian media aft nan blast showed fires burning astatine aggregate locations successful nan port, pinch authorities later informing astir aerial contamination from chemicals specified arsenic ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide successful nan air. Schools successful Bandar Abbas will beryllium closed connected Sunday arsenic well.

Port a awesome destination for Iranian cargo

Shahid Rajaei has been a target before. A 2020 cyberattack attributed to Israel targeted nan port. It came aft Israel said that it thwarted a cyberattack targeting its h2o infrastructure, which it attributed to Iran. Israeli officials didn't respond to requests for remark regarding Saturday's explosion.

Social media videos showed achromatic billowing fume aft nan blast. Others showed solid blown retired of buildings kilometers, aliases miles, distant from nan epicenter of nan explosion. State media footage showed nan injured crowding into astatine slightest 1 hospital, pinch ambulances arriving arsenic medics rushed 1 personification by connected a stretcher.

Hasanzadeh, nan provincial disaster guidance official, earlier told authorities tv that nan blast came from containers astatine Shahid Rajaei larboard successful nan city, without elaborating. State TV besides reported that location had been a building illness caused by nan explosion, though nary further specifications were offered.

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The Interior Ministry said that it launched an investigation into nan blast. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian besides offered his condolences for those affected successful nan blast.

Shahid Rajaei larboard successful Hormozgan state is astir 650 miles southeast of Iran's capital, Tehran, connected nan Strait of Hormuz, nan constrictive rima of nan Persian Gulf done which 20% of each lipid traded passes.