Over 700 injured, 5 killed in explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port amid nuclear talks with US

A massive explosion rocked Shahid Rajaee port in Iran’s Bandar Abbas city on Saturday, killing four people and injuring over 700, state media reported.

Port activities were suspended to extinguish the fire, and the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that “many people were probably injured or even killed in the incident,” given the large number of workers at the port.

“The cause of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area. We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centres,” a local crisis management official told state TV.

The explosion shattered windows within several kilometres, with social media videos showing a mushroom cloud forming after the blast.

The port lies about 1,050 kilometres southeast of Tehran, along the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway to the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of global oil trade passes, reported the Associated Press.

In 2020, Shahid Rajaee port had also been targeted by a cyberattack that caused significant backups in the surrounding areas. The Washington Post had reported that Israel was likely behind that attack in retaliation for an earlier Iranian cyberattack.

Explosion occurs amid ongoing US-Iran nuclear talks

The explosion has happened at a time when Iran is holding a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman, though the cause remains unclear.

The talks are being led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, alongside technical-level meetings between experts from both sides.

The goal is to reach a new agreement that would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies, in return for relief from harsh sanctions.

Former US President Donald Trump had earlier pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal during his first term.

Araghchi expressed “cautious optimism” this week, saying: “If the sole demand by the US is for Iran to not possess nuclear weapons, this demand is achievable.”

However, he warned, “If Washington makes impractical or illogical demands, we will naturally encounter problems.”

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Michael Anton, head of policy planning at the US State Department, is leading the American expert team, while Iran’s delegation is headed by deputy foreign ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi.