A significant explosion and subsequent fire struck a port in southern Iran on Saturday, reportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical component used in missile propellant. The incident resulted in eight fatalities and approximately 750 injuries.

Helicopters were deployed to extinguish the intense fire hours after the initial explosion at Shahid Rajaei port. The incident occurred as Iranian officials convened with [Country] in Oman for a third round of discussions regarding Iran’s escalating nuclear program.

While Iranian authorities have not explicitly attributed the explosion to an attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged heightened security vigilance due to past sabotage attempts and assassinations intended to provoke a response.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni announced the casualty figures on state television but provided limited details about the cause of the fire, which persisted into Saturday night just outside of Bandar Abbas, reportedly triggering further container explosions.

The private security firm Ambrey reported that the port received a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” in March, part of a consignment from China transported by two vessels to Iran. The Financial Times initially reported this shipment in January. The fuel was intended to replenish Iran’s missile reserves, which had been diminished by direct attacks on Israel during the conflict with Hamas.

“The fire reportedly stemmed from the improper handling of solid fuel intended for Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey stated.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press corroborated Ambrey’s claim, placing one of the vessels believed to be carrying the chemical in the area in March. Iran has not acknowledged receiving the shipment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

The reason for Iran’s failure to relocate the chemicals from the port remains unclear, especially in light of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which was caused by the ignition of a substantial quantity of ammonium nitrate and resulted in over 200 deaths and 6,000 injuries. However, Israel has targeted Iranian missile sites where industrial mixers are used to create solid fuel.

Social media footage of the explosion at Shahid Rajaei on Saturday showed reddish smoke emanating from the fire before the detonation, suggesting the involvement of a chemical compound, similar to the Beirut explosion.

“Get back, get back! Tell the gas (truck) to go!” a man exclaimed in one video just before the blast. “Tell him to go, it’s going to blow up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!”

On Saturday night, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted the Customs Administration of Iran as attributing the blast to a “stockpile of hazardous goods and chemical materials stored in the port area,” without providing further details.

An aerial image released by Iranian media following the blast depicted multiple fires burning within the port. Authorities subsequently issued warnings about air pollution from chemicals such as ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Schools in Bandar Abbas will be closed on Sunday as a result.

Shahid Rajaei has been previously targeted. A 2020 cyberattack, attributed to Israel, targeted the port. This followed Israel’s claim that it had thwarted a cyberattack on its water infrastructure, which it also blamed on [Country]. Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment regarding Saturday’s explosion.

Social media videos captured thick black smoke rising after the blast, while others showed windows shattered in buildings located kilometers away from the explosion’s center. State media footage depicted injured individuals crowding into at least one hospital, with ambulances arriving and medics rushing a person on a stretcher.

Hasanzadeh, the provincial disaster management official, initially told state television that the blast originated from containers at Shahid Rajaei port but did not provide further information. State TV also reported a building collapse caused by the explosion, though no additional details were available.

The Interior Ministry announced the launch of an investigation into the blast. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his condolences to those affected by the incident.

Shahid Rajaei port, situated in Hormozgan province approximately 650 miles southeast of Tehran, Iran’s capital, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of global oil trade passes.

“`