Fire triggered Bandar Abbas port explosion – state media
The explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei port was preceded by a small fire in the container terminal area, Fars News Agency reported on Saturday. The fire quickly escalated, causing a major blast, fueled by high temperatures and the presence of flammable materials, Fars quoted witnesses as saying.
Local reports said the exact contents of the containers are still unknown, but initial information pointed to combustible goods near the scene. Fars also reported a sulfur-like odor in the area.
State television later reported that additional explosions were heard at Shahid Rajaee port, but said "the situation is under control." Thick smoke was seen over the port as emergency teams continued operations to evacuate vehicles and assist the wounded.
Sabotage is considered unlikely in the explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei port, a national crisis management spokesman said on Saturday, citing earlier official safety warnings issued for the site.
Hossein Zafari told ILNA news agency that chemical materials stored inside containers were likely the cause of the blast and that previous inspections had flagged safety concerns. "Past warnings about the port’s safety reduce the likelihood of sabotage," Zafari said.
He urged the public to rely on official sources for updates, warning that widespread rumors were circulating. "The volume of rumors is so high that we are forced to clarify even obvious matters," he added.
Zafari said toxic smoke from the fire was hampering rescue efforts and that the full cause would be determined after the fire was brought under control. No confirmed death toll has been announced yet, but the shockwave was felt up to 50 kilometers away.
Smoke from the explosion is seen at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025.
Iran said on Saturday it remains "steadfast" in its demand for the lifting of sanctions and reiterated its readiness to build trust over the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, as a third round of indirect talks with the United States got underway in Muscat.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran remains steadfast in its principled position regarding the need to end unjust sanctions and its readiness to build trust,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.
Talks began around 10 a.m. local time, with Iranian and US delegations meeting in separate rooms under Omani mediation, he said.
Baghaei added that a technical Iranian team of experts in sanctions, nuclear issues, and IAEA affairs is also present at the talks.
He stressed that “respect for Iran’s legitimate rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and providing assurances about the effective lifting of sanctions” were necessary to reach any understanding.
Iranian officials said several scenarios are being investigated as possible causes of the explosion at Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, and the exact reason has not yet been confirmed.
Mohammad Ashouri, governor of Hormozgan province, said, "Several scenarios are being examined by the relevant authorities, and the cause will be announced once confirmed."
Following the blast, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref ordered an urgent investigation, speaking separately by phone with the provincial governor and the head of the Red Crescent. Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni also called for a special inquiry and dispatched the head of the National Crisis Management Organization to the area.
The number of people injured in the explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei port has risen to 281, Babak Yektaperest, spokesman for Iran’s emergency services, said on Saturday.
Many of the injured were transferred to hospitals across Hormozgan province, local outlets said.
Iran’s political and religious establishment is closing ranks to defend Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s backing of renewed negotiations with the United States, with clerics and hardliners urging the public to view flexibility as a continuation of revolutionary goals.
Khamenei on Thursday invoked a historic concession by Shia Islam’s second Imam, Hasan ibn Ali, who signed a controversial peace treaty with Mu'awiya in 661 CE. Without directly mentioning the ongoing US nuclear talks, he said the treaty was temporary and necessary to safeguard Islam’s future.
The allusion mirrors Khamenei’s 2013 justification for the 2015 nuclear deal, when he framed negotiations as an act of “heroic flexibility.” His tone marks a significant shift from February, when he denounced engagement with the United States as “unwise and dishonorable.”
Analyst Hamed Moafagh Behrouzi, in an article published Saturday by the IRGC-linked Fars News Agency, interpreted Khamenei’s recent remarks as a reaffirmation of the Islamic Republic’s unwavering path, warning against simplistic readings of tactical shifts.
He wrote that evolving methods should not be mistaken for a change in objectives, adding, “The Islamic system is exactly on the same divine path.”
Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a senior Iranian political figure, praised the decision to open talks through Omani mediation.
He called the move “shrewd” in an interview with the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency, saying, “Diplomacy is, in fact, at the service of the country's security, military, defense, political, economic, and cultural objectives.”
Clerics during Friday prayers echoed the recalibration. Sermons widely broadcast across Iranian media stressed the need for accurate understanding of global conditions.
Tehran’s interim Friday prayers leader Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard said “Without the slightest doubt, the negotiations began from a position of dignity and power.”
Further endorsement appeared in a commentary by the hardline Kayhan newspaper, which operates under Khamenei’s supervision. The article described the apparent contradiction between opposing direct US talks and later allowing indirect negotiations as “two sides of a battlefield and part of real negotiation tactics.”
“Khamenei at the time did not regard negotiations as honorable or wise but, with steadfastness like Imam Ali’s, forced new conditions upon the enemy,” added the daily.
According to Kayhan, Khamenei “humiliated Trump” by imposing and cementing several strategic frameworks, then allowed indirect talks to “disarm the American president from using any pretext to claim Iranian nuclear military activity.”
Hardline reactions, however, have not been uniformly supportive. Some ultra-conservative figures have voiced frustration, accusing sections of the establishment of weakening the Islamic Republic's position.
In further comments Thursday, Khamenei appeared to address internal dissent, warning, “Our loose lips, our failure to help, our needless protests ... can sometimes have an impact. One must be very careful.”
Commentators noted that while Khamenei’s authority remains unchallengeable, dissatisfaction lingers among hardliners. “He is trying to warn and to provide a rationale (for his decisions) to his radical supporters,” US-based analyst Ali Afshari told Iran International TV.
Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a veteran conservative and former minister, separately defended Khamenei’s decision on Friday, likening negotiations to a real estate bargaining process where success depends on patience and strategy.
Taken together, the coordinated messaging from political insiders, clerics, and IRGC-linked outlets signals a broader effort to shield Khamenei’s shift from criticism.
