Massive Blast At Iranian Port Leaves 14 Dead, 750 Injured Amid US-Iran Talks In Oman

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda April 26, 2025

A massive explosion purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant killed at least 14 people and injured more than 750 others in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

The April 26 blast at the Shahid Rajaei port happened as Iran and the United States met in Oman for the third round of talks over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. A fourth round is scheduled for May 3, also in Oman.

While no Iranian officials have suggested that the explosion was due to an attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading Tehran's delegation in Oman, said earlier this week that "our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response."

Authorities in Iran offered no clear explanation for what caused the blast. Some 10 hours after the initial explosion, state TV reported the fire was still intensifying and in danger of "spreading to other areas and containers."

Hossein Zafari, a spokesman for Iran's crisis management organization, appeared to blame the explosion on poor storage of chemicals in containers at the Shahid Rajaee port.

"The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers," he told Iran's ILNA news agency.

"Previously, the director general of crisis management had given warnings to this port during their visits and had pointed out the possibility of danger," Zafari said.

According to the private security firm Ambrey, the port had received a shipment of "sodium perchlorate rocket fuel" in March, which was going to be used to replenish Iran's missile stocks after being depleted by its direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas -- which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union -- in the Gaza Strip.

Tehran has not acknowledged taking the shipment, but ship-tracking data obtained by the Associated Press shows vessels believed to be carrying the chemical in the vicinity of the port in March.

US-Iran Nuclear Talks In Oman

Meanwhile, Iran and the United States held negotiations in Oman over Tehran's nuclear program on April 26.

The talks ran for several hours in Muscat, the Omani mediators said of the indirect sessions between Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East.

"The negotiations were conducted very seriously and professionally," Araghchi without providing full details. "We are cautiously optimistic."

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has mediated the two previous round of US-Iran talks in Muscat and Rome, offered a positive note at the end of the negotiations.

Iran and the United States "identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments," Busaidi posted on X after the conclusion of talks in Oman. "Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed. Talks will continue next week with a further high-level meeting provisionally scheduled for May 3."

The talks seek to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the United States has imposed on the country.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran's program if a deal isn't reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Iran Launches Investigation After Port Explosion

Iran's Interior Ministry said it launched an investigation into the port explosion.

Deadly incidents have hit Iranian energy and industrial infrastructure in recent years -- such as gas explosions and oil refinery fires -- with many blamed on negligence.

Tehran, however, has also blamed some incidents on its arch-foe Israel, which has carried out attacks on Iranian soil targeting the country's nuclear program. Last year, Israel also bombed Iran's air defenses.

Iran accused Israel as being behind a February 2024 attack on Iranian gas pipelines, as well as a major cyberattack on the Shahid Rajaee port in May 2020, causing transport chaos for days after crashing the facility's computer system.

The Shahid Rajaei port is Iran's largest and it mainly handles large volumes of container traffic and also has oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.

The port is some 1,050 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf where 20 percent of all oil traded globally passes through.

Local officials said that all schools, universities, and offices in Bandar Abbas will be closed on April 27.

With reporting from Reuters and the AP.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-explosion-nuclear- talks-oman-araqchi-witkoff/33397512.html

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Massive Blast At Iranian Port Leaves 14 Dead, 750 Injured Amid US-Iran Talks In Oman