UPDATED
A massive explosion followed by a major fire broke out today at the Rajaee Port complex in Bandar Abbas, one of Iran’s most strategic commercial hubs in the southern part of the country. According to official Iranian media, the blast occurred around midday and sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky, visible across the city and neighboring areas.
Student News Network (SNN) quoted local emergency services as saying that the explosion took place within two kilometers of the customs administration building. “Operations to assess and contain the incident are ongoing,” officials told the outlet.
Following the explosion, the regime’s Customs Administration announced that all trucks whose customs procedures had been completed were being evacuated from the port premises. According to the statement, the explosion likely originated from the storage of hazardous goods and chemical materials within the port area, specifically inside the Sina container yard.
According to the latest report by ILNA, the number of injured following the explosion at Rajaee Port has now surpassed 750, and eight fatalities have been officially confirmed. Authorities warned that the casualty figures could still increase as rescue and firefighting operations continue.
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Official reports claimed that the blast originated from a container stored at the port and not from a fuel tank or an ammonia facility, as earlier rumors suggested. Witnesses reported that the force of the explosion caused extensive damage across a wide radius, shattering windows, damaging vehicles, and leading to the collapse of a nearby administrative building, which contributed to some of the casualties.
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that tremors from the explosion were felt as far as Qeshm Island, while Asr-e-Iran emphasized that the smoke from the fire was visible across the entire city of Bandar Abbas.
The regime’s Oil Ministry has reiterated that the blast did not involve oil pipelines, refineries, or associated facilities, and stated that oil operations in the region continue without disruption. Nevertheless, maritime and port activities at Rajaee Port were temporarily suspended to allow emergency crews to control the situation and prevent secondary incidents.
The Iranian regime has a long-standing pattern of treating incidents at strategic sites with extreme opacity, viewing every such development primarily through a security lens. Whether involving military facilities, ports, or critical infrastructure, officials often delay providing information, offer conflicting accounts, and prevent independent investigations. This approach, rooted in the regime’s obsession with maintaining control and avoiding perceptions of vulnerability, has historically fueled public skepticism without necessarily clarifying the true causes of such events.