Huge blast at key Iranian port kills eight and injures more than 750

[ad_1] At the very least eight individuals have been killed and 750 injured in a large explosion at one in all Iran's key ports, authorities say.

The blast passed off at Shahid Rajaee, the nation's largest industrial port, close to the southern metropolis of Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning.

It blew out home windows and roofs of close by buildings and destroyed vehicles. Residents reported feeling the affect of the blast as much as 50km (31 miles) away.

Movies verified by the BBC present a fireplace rising in depth earlier than an enormous explosion, with individuals subsequently fleeing the blast and others mendacity wounded on roads surrounded by smoking particles.

Aerial footage confirmed a minimum of three areas ablaze and Iran's inside minister later confirmed that the hearth was spreading from one container to a different.

Some staff have been "nonetheless trapped beneath collapsed roofs and we try to rescue them", one official instructed native media in line with BBC Persian.

One non-public maritime danger agency stated it believed the affected containers had contained strong gasoline destined for ballistic missiles.

The hearth was the results of "improper dealing with of a cargo of strong gasoline meant to be used in Iranian ballistic missiles", Ambrey Intelligence stated.

Ambrey stated it was conscious that an Iran-flagged ship "discharged a cargo of sodium perchlorate rocket gasoline on the port in March 2025".

The Monetary Instances newspaper had beforehand reported that two vessels had shipped gasoline to Iran from China.

State media quoted witnesses as saying the explosion occurred after a fireplace broke out and unfold to unsealed containers storing "flammable supplies".

Customs officers later launched a press release reported by Iranian state TV saying the explosion had in all probability resulted from a fireplace that had damaged out in a hazmat and chemical supplies storage depot.

In a later replace Ambrey quoted Iran's Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Organisation as saying officers had beforehand issued warnings to Shahid Rajaee port relating to the protected storage of chemical substances.

<img alt="A video grab made available by the official website of Iranian state TV Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) shows huge clouds of smoke rising at Rajaie port in Bandar Abbas" loading="lazy" width="960" height="535" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/IPayCN8nql_W3FKX1oTxwg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzNQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/64b5300880601c56263f69cba902c8b3"/> [EPA]

<img alt="Three men rush down a highway littered with detritus and rubble after the massive port explosion" loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/6tfBVlV7qDGceyKeqiaRAA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/9cb8e2f4b2b863c98bbe4252899e87a9"/> Highways have been suffering from particles and rubble after the explosion [Reuters]

Shahid Rajaee port is Iran's largest and most superior terminal, by which a lot of the nation's industrial transport transits.

It's positioned on the Strait of Hormuz, a significant transport channel for oil cargo, and is about 20km (12 miles) west of Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port metropolis on its south coast and residential to the Iranian Navy's predominant base.

Iran's nationwide oil manufacturing firm stated the explosion on the port had "no connection" to the nation's oil refineries, gasoline tanks and pipelines, native media reported.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed his "deep remorse and sympathy" for victims. He has introduced a authorities investigation and despatched the inside minister to the area to guide it.

Saturday's explosion passed off as Iranian and US officers met in Oman for a 3rd spherical of talks on Iran's nuclear programme.

Negotiations have been beneath approach for a number of weeks because the US authorities beneath President Trump has sought to strike a deal that stops Iran from creating its programme in return for aid from financial sanctions.