At least 18 people have been confirmed dead and over 800 injured following a massive explosion and subsequent fire at the Sina container yard, part of the Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. The incident occurred on Saturday, with Iranian state television providing updated casualty figures on Sunday.
Emergency crews have managed to bring the fire under control, although thick black smoke continues to rise from the site. The injured have been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. Authorities had initially reported 14 fatalities before revising the number as rescue efforts continued.
The explosion happened as Iran entered a third round of nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman, but no immediate link has been established between the blast and the diplomatic talks.
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Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management organisation, attributed the explosion to improperly stored chemicals inside shipping containers. He noted that prior warnings had been issued regarding the storage conditions at the port.
An official government statement echoed Zafari’s remarks but stressed that the exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
This incident adds to a troubling pattern of industrial and energy-related disasters in Iran, many of which have been blamed on poor maintenance and negligence. Past events have included refinery fires, gas explosions, and accidents at industrial sites—one of which occurred at Bandar Abbas last year, claiming the life of a worker.
Some incidents have been linked to foreign sabotage, particularly from Israel, which has previously carried out cyberattacks and bombings on Iranian infrastructure tied to its nuclear programme. Iran holds Israel responsible for a 2024 pipeline sabotage and a 2020 cyberattack targeting Shahid Rajaei port. However, there has been no official comment from Israel on the latest explosion.
Iranian authorities confirmed that oil facilities were unaffected by the blast. The National Iranian Petroleum Refining and Distribution Company released a statement asserting that the incident had no impact on refineries, fuel tanks, oil pipelines, or related infrastructure.
