Explosion in Iran's largest port, Shahid Rajaee, heard 50 km away, leaves dozens killed, thousands injured

 
Correction — May 10, 2025
 
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025 

Smoke billowing after the explosion

On Saturday morning, an explosion occurred at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, leaving at least 40 dead and over 1000 injured, according to the Red Crescent Society.

The explosion, which was reported to have been heard up to 31 miles away, caused windows in nearby office buildings to be blown out. Photographs showed "twisted" scraps of metal sprawled across the streets. At least one roof also collapsed. There were reports of victims pinned under collapsed walls.

One of the people in the area told state TV "The entire warehouse was filled with smoke, dust and ashes. I don't remember if I went under the table or was thrown there by the blast".

Prior to the explosion, there was a fire that was described as a "huge inferno." One witness reported that the fire spread quickly before causing the explosion. According to a crisis management official, the incident stemmed from "the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area," which were likely storing chemical materials.

One private maritime risk firm, Ambrey Intelligence, said that the fire was caused by "improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles", "a shipment of sodium perchlorate rocket fuel [discharged] at the port in March 2025". The Financial Times newspaper had earlier stated that two vessels had brought the fuel from China to Iran. Ambrey reportedly noted that Iran’s National Disaster Management Organisation had previously warned Shahid Rajaee port about chemical storage safety, according to the BBC.

The resulting fire from the explosion was still burning one full day after the incident, and was characterized as expelling "thick columns of thick, black smoke" into the air. Rescue efforts are underway, and helicopters were dispatched in an attempt to subdue the flames.

Sister links

• Port of Shahid Rajaee explosion

Sources

• "Iran port explosion: Mourning turns to anger after blast kills 40" — BBC, April 27, 2025
• Frances Mao. "Huge blast at key Iranian port kills eight and injures more than 750" — BBC, April 27, 2025
• "At least 8 dead, 750 injured as explosion rocks Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port" — Tehran Times, April 26, 2025