Iran port blast kills five and injures 561, cause unclear

The United Arab Emirates expressed its solidarity with Iran following the explosion at Shahid Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

"The United Arab Emirates has conveyed its steadfast solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran following the explosion in Bandar Abbas port, southern Iran, resulting in deaths and hundreds of injuries and significant damage," the statement said.

The ministry expressed its wishes of speedy recovery for all the injured in the incident.

The office of Iran’s prosecutor general on Saturday warned social media users and media outlets against publishing content that could “disrupt the psychological security of society” following the huge deadly explosion at Shahid Rajaei Port.

"The spread of false news and incorrect speculation, which disrupts rescue operations and causes public concern, must be avoided," the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News website quoted the prosecutor general’s office as saying in a statement.

It added that individuals who publish false content, spread lies, or commit insults would face legal action, and prosecutors across the country were instructed to act swiftly, effectively, and preventively against those misusing social media to spread misinformation about the incident.

Israel was not involved in the explosion at Shahid Rajaei Port in southern Iran, the Jewish state's Channel 12 reported on Saturday citing Israeli officials.

The number of fatalities in Saturday's explosion at Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iran is in the dozens, local sources told Iran International.

Earlier Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that only four individuals were killed in the blast.

The figures announced officially account only for those who were in the surrounding areas, not at the heart of the explosion, a source familiar with the situation told Iran International.

A source close to the family of one of the victims, who shared images and videos from the site with Iran International, said: "Why does the Islamic Republic insist on claiming that no one was killed or that the number of deaths is low?"

Hundreds have been injured, and hospitals lack the capacity and resources to treat them, a family member of an injured person told Iran International, speaking outside a hospital in Bandar Abbas and sharing video footage.

Another Iran International viewer sent a video showing the body of a coworker lying among trucks at the site.

Authorities in Bandar Abbas have issued an urgent appeal for blood donations following the explosion at Rajaei Port, with a particular need for negative blood types, especially O-negative.

The Hormozgan Province Blood Transfusion Center called on residents to assist in supplying local medical centers. According to the Emergency Organization, at least 516 people have been injured in the incident.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed deep regret over the Bandar Abbas port explosion and ordered a full investigation into the cause of the incident, he said in a post on social media on Saturday.

"While expressing deep sorrow and sympathy with the victims in Hormozgan province, I have ordered an investigation into the situation and the causes of the incident," Pezeshkian wrote on X.

He added that Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had been dispatched as his special representative to "conduct a thorough review of the accident, coordinate relief efforts, and address the needs of the injured."

Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni headed to Bandar Abbas on Saturday to oversee the response to the explosion at Shahid Rajaei port, local media reported.

Momeni had earlier spoken by phone with Hormozgan Governor Mohammad Ashouri and ordered a special investigation into the cause of the blast.

Iran warned against spreading speculation and false information about the explosion at Rajaei Port, saying it could disrupt rescue operations and cause public anxiety.
"The spread of false news and incorrect speculation, which disrupts rescue operations and causes public concern, must be avoided," said the government’s Information Council in a statement on Saturday.

The explosion that rocked Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iran on Saturday has killed four people so far, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB announced citing the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s relief and rescue organization.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon said Saturday that the explosion at Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas was "much smaller" than the 2020 Beirut port blast and could not be compared.

"The fire began after a container exploded near a fuel storage site," Mojtaba Amani wrote on X. He said about 300 people were injured, with damage reported to nearby buildings and vehicles, and that investigations were underway to determine the exact cause and any negligence.

Some social media users had compared Saturday’s explosion to the 2020 Beirut blast, which was triggered by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate improperly stored for six years at the port.

Iran’s state television earlier reported the Bandar Abbas explosion was not linked to an ammonia tank.