A huge explosion at the Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran has killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000, according to the Red Crescent, and fires were still burning more than a day after the blast.
The explosion struck on 26 April 2025 at the port near Bandar Abbas, close to the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries a large share of the world’s oil. “For the moment, 40 people have lost their lives as a result of injuries caused by the explosion,” a provincial official, Mohammad Ashouri, told state television.
Authorities have not yet said what caused the blast, and officials have so far treated it as an accident. Some reports linked the blast to a consignment of a chemical used in missile propellant, but that has not been confirmed. Footage showed reddish-hued smoke rising before the detonation, which analysts said pointed to a chemical compound.
As smoke and air pollution rose, schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, 23 kilometres to the east, were ordered shut, and residents were told to remain inside with masks on. President Masoud Pezeshkian travelled to the site on Sunday to review the situation, state media reported, and offered his condolences. The Interior Ministry said it had opened an investigation.
The blast came as Iranian and American delegations met in Oman for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, though no Iranian official has blamed sabotage. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country’s security forces remained on alert because of past sabotage and assassination attempts meant to provoke Iran. In 2020, the Washington Post reported, Israel carried out a cyberattack on the same port.
The port serves as a key destination for Iranian cargo, sitting near the Strait of Hormuz on a route vital to global oil shipments. The toll of at least 40 dead and more than 1,000 injured is expected to shift as rescue and firefighting work continues.
Sources
- Iran: Fire blazes day after port blast killed 40, injured over 1,000 – Firstpost
- Port of Shahid Rajaee explosion explained
