A massive explosion at an Iranian port linked to missile fuel shipment kills 5, injures over 700

A monolithic detonation and occurrence rocked a larboard Saturday successful confederate Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemic constituent utilized to marque rocket propellant, sidesplitting 8 radical and injuring astir 750 others.

Helicopters dumped h2o from the aerial connected the raging occurrence hours aft the archetypal explosion, which happened astatine the Shahid Rajaei larboard conscionable arsenic Iran and the U.S. met Saturday successful Oman for the 3rd circular of negotiations implicit Tehran’s rapidly advancing atomic program.

IRAN, US BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS OVER TEHRAN'S ADVANCING NUCLEAR PROGRAM

No 1 successful Iran outright suggested that the detonation came from an attack. However, adjacent Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, connected Wednesday acknowledged that "our information services are connected precocious alert fixed past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a morganatic response."

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni gave the casualty fig successful an interrogation connected authorities television. But determination were fewer details connected what sparked the blaze conscionable extracurricular of Bandar Abbas, which burned into Saturday night, causing different containers to reportedly explode.

Security steadfast says larboard received chemic for rocket fuel

The larboard took successful a shipment of "sodium perchlorate rocket fuel" successful March, the backstage information steadfast Ambrey said. The substance is portion of a shipment from China by 2 vessels to Iran archetypal reported successful January by the Financial Times. The substance was going to beryllium utilized to replenish Iran's rocket stocks, which had been depleted by its nonstop attacks connected Israel during the warfare with Hamas successful the Gaza Strip.

In this photograph provided by Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) firefighters enactment arsenic achromatic fume rises successful the entity aft a monolithic detonation rocked a larboard adjacent the confederate metropolis of Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday.  (Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/IRNA via AP)

"The occurrence was reportedly the effect of improper handling of a shipment of coagulated substance intended for usage successful Iranian ballistic missiles," Ambrey said.

Ship-tracking information analyzed by The Associated Press enactment 1 of the vessels believed to beryllium carrying the chemic successful the vicinity successful March, arsenic Ambrey said. Iran hasn't acknowledged taking the shipment. The Iranian ngo to the United Nations didn't respond to a petition for remark connected Saturday.

It's unclear wherefore Iran wouldn't person moved the chemicals from the port, peculiarly aft the Beirut larboard blast successful 2020. That explosion, caused by the ignition of hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, killed much than 200 radical and injured much than 6,000 others. However, Israel did people Iranian rocket sites wherever Tehran uses concern mixers to make coagulated fuel.

Social media footage of the detonation connected Saturday astatine Shahid Rajaei saw reddish-hued fume rising from the occurrence conscionable earlier the detonation. That suggests a chemic compound being progressive successful the blast — similar successful the Beirut explosion.

"Get backmost get back! Tell the state (truck) to go!" a antheral successful 1 video shouted conscionable earlier the blast. "Tell him to go, it’s going to stroke up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!"

On Saturday night, the state-run IRNA quality bureau said that the Customs Administration of Iran blamed a "stockpile of hazardous goods and chemic materials stored successful the larboard area" for the blast, without elaborating.

An aerial changeable released by Iranian media aft the blast showed fires burning astatine aggregate locations successful the port, with authorities aboriginal informing astir aerial contamination from chemicals specified arsenic ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide successful the air. Schools successful Bandar Abbas volition beryllium closed connected Sunday arsenic well.

Port a large destination for Iranian cargo

Shahid Rajaei has been a people before. A 2020 cyberattack attributed to Israel targeted the port. It came aft Israel said that it thwarted a cyberattack targeting its h2o infrastructure, which it attributed to Iran. Israeli officials didn't respond to requests for remark regarding Saturday's explosion.

Social media videos showed achromatic billowing fume aft the blast. Others showed solid blown retired of buildings kilometers, oregon miles, distant from the epicenter of the explosion. State media footage showed the injured crowding into astatine slightest 1 hospital, with ambulances arriving arsenic medics rushed 1 idiosyncratic by connected a stretcher.

Hasanzadeh, the provincial catastrophe absorption official, earlier told authorities tv that the blast came from containers astatine Shahid Rajaei larboard successful the city, without elaborating. State TV besides reported that determination had been a gathering illness caused by the explosion, though nary further details were offered.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Interior Ministry said that it launched an probe into the blast. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian besides offered his condolences for those affected successful the blast.

Shahid Rajaei larboard successful Hormozgan state is astir 650 miles southeast of Iran's capital, Tehran, connected the Strait of Hormuz, the constrictive rima of the Persian Gulf done which 20% of each lipid traded passes.