The explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran, April 26, 2025 (Sky)

UPDATE, APR 28:

The toll has risen to 46 dead from Saturday’s explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran.

At least 1,210 people were injured, with 138 still in hospital.

Fires continued to break out in different areas of Shahid Rajaee, part of the Bandar Abbas complex, on Sunday night. Helicopters and firefighters continued efforts to extinguish the blaze.

About 90% of the fire has been extinguished, said Bandar Abbas mayor Mehdi Noubani. “Port operations are ongoing and damages are still being assessed.”

Iran’s Health Ministry urged residents of Hormozgan Province to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf indicated that sabotage is being considered as a cause, as well as negligence. He said the findings will be shared with the public.

Sobh-e-No, close to Qalibaf, said the blast may be an “artificial crisis” to “undermine negotiations” with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program and “retaliate against Iran’s recent diplomatic gains”. It cautioned that “a media outlet cannot judge whether such a large-scale event was accidental or deliberate” without official findings.

On Sunday, the Supreme Leader said, “Security and judicial officials are obliged to thoroughly investigate, uncover any negligence or intent, and follow up in accordance with regulations.”

He added that authorities must take responsibility for preventing such incidents in the future.

UPDATE 0943 GMT:

The toll has been raised to 25 dead and 1,139 injured by Saturday’s explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran.

UPDATE 0850 GMT:

Footage from Iran State outlet Press TV of the burning Shahid Rajaee port:

ORIGINAL ENTRY, APR 27: At least 18 people have been killed and around 800 injured by a large explosion and fire in the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran.

A “person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” said sodium perchlorate, a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles, detonated on Saturday afternoon.

Iranian authorities did not suggest that the port, part of the country’s largest complex in Bandar Abbas, had been sabotaged or attacked.

But the security firm Ambrey said there were indications that the blast resulted from improper storage of sodium perchlorate. The Financial Times reported in January that China had shipped the chemical to Iran, whose stocks of missile propellant were depleted last year by its attacks on Israel.

“The cause of the explosions was the chemicals inside the containers,” said Hossein Zafari, a crisis management spokesperson. He explained that the port administration had previously been warned about the danger posed by the storage.

Shahid Rajaee handles 80 million tons of goods a year, including fuel and other combustible materials.

State media broadcasts showed immense clouds of black smoke and the fire still spreading on Saturday night. Helicopters and aircraft dumped water onto the blaze.

3rd Round of US-Iran Nuclear Talks

The explosion occurred as the US and Iran were holding their third round of indirect talks in Oman about Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters after his session with Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff:

I am satisfied with the progress of the negotiations and their pace. They are proceeding well and remain satisfactory.

It was quite evident that both sides were serious and entered the talks with determination. This creates an atmosphere that gives us hope for progress in the negotiations.

Araqchi cited agreement to hold further consultations in Washington and Tehran, but he said the two countries should establish a general understanding on certain issues before detailed negotiations.

“There are differences between the two nations, both on key issues and their specifics,” he explained.