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Four months after the catastrophic explosion at Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas that left over a thousand dead and injured, the Iranian regime’s judiciary has finally released its long-awaited findings — but the announcement appears less an effort at accountability than a calculated cover-up. The judiciary named 21 ministries, agencies, and local authorities as responsible for the April 2025 disaster, while entirely omitting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated defense industries, despite mounting evidence directly linking them to the blast.
A Disaster Rooted in Ballistic Missile Fuel Storage
According to information obtained by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the explosion occurred in the Sina section of the Banagostar Company’s warehouse, where containers filled with sodium perchlorate — a compound used in solid fuel for ballistic missiles — were stored. Banagostar is a subsidiary of Sepehr Energy Holding, itself under the control of the Ministry of Defense and tied to the IRGC’s strategic weapons program. Sepehr Energy was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on November 29, 2023 for its role in supplying material for Tehran’s missile development.
Despite this, neither the judiciary’s report nor state-run media outlets made any reference to missile fuel, the IRGC, or Sepehr Energy, instead blaming “bureaucratic mismanagement” and “poor safety oversight” by various civilian agencies.
#BandarAbbas Explosion Reveals #Iranian Regime's Priorities: Survival Over Accountabilityhttps://t.co/1EMBYFULAS
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 28, 2025
Judiciary Deflects Responsibility
On September 9, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, head of the judiciary, presented the official findings: “Multiple institutions and individuals have been found responsible for this tragic incident… their cases will be reviewed, and justice will be served.”
The report cites factors such as “inadequate storage of hazardous materials,” “lack of environmental controls,” “poor inter-agency coordination,” and “economic priorities outweighing safety.” Among the 21 entities named were the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade (MIMT), the Ports and Maritime Organization, Customs, the Central Bank, and several provincial offices.
By focusing blame on bureaucratic inefficiency, the judiciary effectively absolved the IRGC and the Defense Ministry, despite their direct control over Banagostar’s operations and the shipment of missile propellants through Rajaei Port.
🚨 Exclusive #Thread : Catastrophic explosions at #Iran’s Bandar Abbas Rajaei Port (#BandarAbbasExplosion) on April 26–27 devastated the area.
Eyewitnesses told #en_simayazadi: "the regime censors the truth; the port has turned into a graveyard."pic.twitter.com/OPlphebcUd— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) April 28, 2025
A Cover-Up Backed by State Media
State media coverage of the judiciary’s findings was uniform and tightly coordinated — reflecting an orchestrated effort to shield the regime’s security apparatus from scrutiny. Not a single state-affiliated outlet acknowledged the role of missile fuel storage, despite corroborating evidence from multiple independent sources.
By scapegoating civilian ministries while suppressing information about the military’s involvement, Tehran seeks to maintain plausible deniability over its clandestine weapons programs and avoid exposing the IRGC’s negligence.
#BandarAbbas Explosion Reveals #Iranian Regime's Priorities: Survival Over Accountabilityhttps://t.co/1EMBYFULAS
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 28, 2025
Rising Public Anger, Heightened Regime Fear
The Bandar Abbas explosion devastated entire families, many of whom are still without answers regarding the fate of missing relatives. While the judiciary claims only 58 deaths, local reports and independent sources suggest the real toll is well over a thousand, with large numbers of unregistered laborers — many from Sistan and Baluchestan — among the dead.
This widening credibility gap has deepened public resentment. Officials fear that renewed outrage over government secrecy, corruption, and disregard for safety could ignite fresh protests in an already volatile society struggling with rising inflation, energy shortages, and widespread distrust of state institutions.
Tehran’s refusal to implicate the IRGC reflects more than internal protectionism — it underscores the regime’s dependence on its military and security apparatus to maintain power. Naming the IRGC would not only expose its involvement in illegal ballistic missile activities, but also risk demoralizing the very forces tasked with defending the system against potential uprisings.
Blast in Bandar Abbas Exposes #Iran’s Regime Panic and Incompetence Amid Fears of Uprisinghttps://t.co/xwruHZO4Lp
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 3, 2025