Iranian port explosion death toll rises to 40

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited some of the wounded and said during a meeting aired on state TV, “We have to find out why it happened.” Authorities said the fire was under control, and hoped it would be fully put out by late Sunday.

A revolutionary Guard firefighting airtanker drops water on the fire. (AP)

Dramatic new videos showed a deep crater surrounded by smoke, smashed containers, and burnt-out trucks and cars. The smoke was so dangerous that schools and businesses nearby had to be closed.

Private security company Ambrey believes the explosion may be linked to a shipment of ammonium perchlorate, a chemical used to make missile fuel, which arrived from China in March. Ambrey suggested that the blast was “the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles.”

However, Iran’s military rejected this claim. Defence Ministry spokesman General Reza Talaeinik told state television, “No sort of imported and exporting consignment for fuel or military application was (or) is in the site of the port.” He called foreign reports about missile fuel being involved “baseless” but did not explain what caused the explosion.

Firefighters try to extinguish the fire, Sunday, April 27, 2025, after a massive explosion and fire rocked a port near the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran. (AP)

It is still unclear why, if chemicals were present, they were not moved quickly  especially after the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020. That disaster was caused by stored ammonium nitrate and killed over 200 people.

Videos from the scene showed reddish smoke before the blast, suggesting that a chemical compound was involved, similar to what happened in Beirut.

In a show of support, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent emergency aircraft to Bandar Abbas to assist with recovery efforts, AP reported, citing Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

The provincial governor has announced three days of mourning for the victims.