Iran’s Port Catastrophe: Fatal Blast and Safety Lapses Uncovered

Mon Oct 20 2025 13:18:05 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As the death toll reaches 70, Iranian authorities attribute the devastating port explosion to negligence and safety violations, while investigations continue.

A massive explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaee port has led to at least 70 deaths and over 1,000 injuries, with officials citing negligence as a factor. The incident has raised concerns over safety measures and led to investigations into the handling of hazardous materials.

Iran's interior minister has confirmed that negligence played a significant role in the catastrophic explosion at Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas. As authorities continue their investigations, the death toll from the incident has risen to at least 70, while more than 1,000 individuals have sustained injuries. Eskandar Momeni stated that the blast, which occurred on Saturday, was due to "shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence."

Several individuals deemed responsible for the incident are currently being questioned, according to Momeni. The Customs Administration disclosed that the fire and subsequent explosion were triggered by imported cargo that had not been properly registered or declared before the disaster unfolded. Amidst the ongoing crisis, firefighters have been striving to extinguish residual blazes at the port, with Hormozgan's crisis management director, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, claiming that these efforts were nearing completion.

Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani of Hormozgan has indicated that cleanup operations at the affected site may extend over several days, projecting that it could take one to two weeks for normal activities to resume in the harbor. Notably, he reported that around 1,500 hectares (approximately 3,700 acres) of the port area were severely impacted by the explosion.

According to the CEO of Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, which operates the damaged area, the incident stemmed from "a repeated and catastrophic error involving false declarations of hazardous goods." The defense ministry refuted claims that the explosion was related to the mishandling of sodium perchlorate, a chemical associated with missile fuel, accusing foreign press of disseminating misinformation.

Despite these denials, Ambrey Intelligence, a maritime risk consultancy, noted that the port had received sodium perchlorate last month, asserting that the explosion resulted from improper handling of such materials. An anonymous source connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guards corroborated this, indicating that sodium perchlorate did indeed explode during the ordeal.