Iran blames ‘negligence’ for port blast as death toll rises to 70

Iran’s interior minister has said negligence was a factor in the massive explosion and fire at the country’s largest container port, as the death toll rose to at least 70.

Eskandar Momeni said Saturday’s blast at Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, which also injured more than 1,000 people, was caused by “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence”.

“Some individuals deemed responsible” had been summoned for questioning, he added.

Customs officials reported that imported freight ignited and detonated. The defence ministry has refuted international claims that a missile fuel chemical was being shipped. On Monday, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the crisis management director for Hormozgan province, remarked that the firefighting operation at the port was “nearly in its final stages.”

Governor of Hormozgan, Mohammad Ashouri Taziani, stated that the cleanup efforts at the port may take several additional days, and it could require one to two weeks for conditions to normalize.

He assessed that 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) – nearly two-thirds of the area – were greatly impacted by the blast. The Customs Administration reported that the cargo that ignited and detonated had not been registered or officially declared prior to the event, as stated by the Isna news agency.

On Sunday, the CEO of the firm that was operating the affected area, Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, blamed “a repeated and catastrophic error involving false declarations of hazardous goods”.

Iran’s defence ministry denied reports that the explosion was caused by the improper handling of a shipment of sodium perchlorate, a solid fuel used for ballistic missiles.

Spokesman Brig Gen Reza Talai-Nik said on Sunday that there “were and are no import or export of fuel shipments or cargo for military use in the vicinity of the incident”, and accused foreign media of spreading “fake news”.

Ambrey Intelligence, a private maritime risk consultancy, told the Associated Press that the port received a shipment of sodium perchlorate last month, and that the blast was “reportedly the result of improper handling”.