A massive explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran on Saturday killed at least four people and injured nearly 600 others, officials said, prompting an urgent government investigation.
In a televised interview, Babak Mahmoudi, head of the Relief and Rescue Organization, confirmed the initial death toll and said emergency personnel had been immediately dispatched to the scene. Firefighting teams were working to extinguish the blaze, he added.
The National Emergency Organization later updated the injury toll to at least 560 people, all transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment.
President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his sorrow and sympathy to the victims and their families in a statement on X. He ordered Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to travel to the site as his special representative "to conduct a thorough investigation into the dimensions of the incident, ensure necessary coordination, and attend to the condition of the injured."
Momeni instructed provincial authorities in Hormozgan to submit a preliminary report on the explosion, according to a statement from his office. Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Aref also held separate calls with the Hormozgan governor and the head of the Red Crescent Society to issue necessary directives.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Customs Administration ordered all customs offices to halt the dispatch of export and transit shipments destined for Shahid Rajaee Customs at Bandar Abbas until further notice.
According to local media, the fire started around 12 p.m. local time (08:30 GMT) in the container dock area. Witnesses reported that a minor blaze quickly spread and triggered the explosion due to extreme temperatures — around 40°C — and the accumulation of flammable materials.
The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company clarified that the explosion and fire were not related to any refineries, fuel storage tanks, or oil pipelines linked to the company.
Shahid Rajaee Port, located in Hormozgan province, about 15 kilometers southwest of Bandar Abbas on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, is considered strategically vital for Iran's trade and shipping activities.
The intensity and scale of Saturday's explosion drew immediate comparisons to the Beirut Port blast in August 2020, which killed over 200 people and devastated large parts of Lebanon’s capital.
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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
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Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
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