Huge explosion in Iran's port killed eight people and injured more than 750 people
Authorities say at least eight people were killed and 750 injured in a massive explosion at one of Iran's main ports.
The explosion occurred in Shahid Rajaee, the country's largest commercial port, near the southern city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning.
It blew up windows and roofs of nearby buildings and destroyed cars. Residents reported that the impact of the explosion was as high as 50 kilometers (31 miles).
Videos verified by the BBC show that the fire would have occurred before a huge explosion, and people later fled the explosion and others were injured on the road surrounded by smoking debris.
The antenna video showed burning at least three areas, and the Iranian interior minister later confirmed that the fire spread from one container to another.
An official told local media that some workers were “still trapped under collapsed roofs and we are trying to rescue them.”
A private maritime risk company said it believes the affected containers contain solid fuel that is doomed to ballistic missiles.
The fire was the result of “improper handling of solid fuels designed to be used for Iranian ballistic missiles.”
Ambrey said it realized that an Iran-signed ship “released a batch of sodium perchlorate rocket fuel at the port in March 2025.”
The Financial Times newspaper had previously reported that two ships were transporting fuel from China to Iran.
State media quoted witnesses as saying the explosion occurred after the fire broke out and spread to unsealed containers that store “flammable materials.”
Customs officials later issued a statement reported by Iran's state television, saying the explosion could have been due to a fire that broke out in a storage of dangerous goods and chemical materials.
In a later update, Ambrey quoted the National Disaster Management of Iran, saying officials had previously issued warnings to the port of Shahid Rajaee about safe storage of chemicals.
After the explosion, the highway was filled with debris and rubble [Reuters]
The Shahid Rajaee port is Iran's largest and most advanced terminal, through which most commercial transportation in the country can be passed.
It is located in the Hormuz Strait, a major transport channel for oil cargo, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Bandar Abbas, the main port city of Iran on the south coast of Iran, and is home to the main base of the Iranian Navy.
Iran's state oil production company said the explosion at the port had nothing to do with the country's refineries, fuel tanks and pipelines.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed “deep regret and sympathy” to the victims. He announced a government investigation and sent the interior minister to the region to lead the region.
Saturday's explosion occurred after Iranian and U.S. officials held a third round of Iranian nuclear program talks in Oman.
Negotiations took place for weeks as the U.S. government under President Trump tried to prevent Iran from developing plans in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
