Port blaze hard to extinguish as chemical risk probed, says official

More than 10,000 containers may have been destroyed in the Rajaei Port fire due to poor regulation of hazardous materials, parliamentary construction committee head Mohammad Reza Rezaei Kouchi said during a visit to the port on Sunday, ILNA reported.

He said the lack of separation between flammable and non-flammable goods worsened the disaster, with heat causing some containers to explode before the flames reached them.

Rezaei Kouchi criticized the Ports and Maritime Organization for failing to enforce storage standards and operating for months without a permanent chief.

Some victims of the Rajaei Port explosion have been identified through facial recognition and available images, Hormozgan Province Judiciary Chief Mojtaba Gahremani said on Sunday.

"Due to the severity of the injuries, advanced DNA testing is required for a number of bodies," Gahremani added.

He urged families of missing persons to report to the forensic medical organization for assistance in identification efforts.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent condolences to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after the deadly explosion at Rajaei Port.

"We extend our sincere condolences and sympathy to you, the families of the victims, and the noble people of Iran," King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said in a message published Sunday.

He also wished the Iranian people safety and protection from further harm.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent similar condolences to Pezeshkian.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry had earlier issued a separate statement expressing sympathy over the blast.

Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has cautioned against seeking a nuclear agreement styled to the preferences of US President Donald Trump’s administration, warning that inconsistent nature could be detrimental to Iran.

Rouhani described Trump as unpredictable, saying, "Today he says one thing, two days later he says something else, and two weeks later he contradicts both."

Rouhani said that the US president seeks to claim any diplomatic success as his own, and that American negotiators are working toward what he called a "Trumpian agreement.”

"Our main goal in the negotiations must be to prevent war," he said. "We must not give an excuse to him and not allow Netanyahu to exploit the regional situation against the Iranian nation and the countries of the region," Rouhani said, referring to the Israeli prime minister.

Turning to US sanctions, Rouhani said they remain a major burden on the Iranian public. "Some claim sanctions are a blessing, but this so-called blessing benefits only a few dozen profiteers while harming 85 million Iranians," he said.

A Tehran lawmaker demanded strong action against those responsible for the deadly explosion at Rajaie Port near Bandar Abbas.

“Those responsible for the Bandar Abbas explosion, at any level, must be dealt with in a way that makes them deeply regret their actions,” Tehran hardline MP Amirhossein Sabeti said in parliament on Sunday.

Kayhan newspaper, managed by an appointee of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also wrote that the incident’s scale at Iran’s largest commercial port required urgent, thorough investigation.

Kayhan called for authorities to determine whether negligence, failure to heed safety warnings, or other causes led to the blast.

The following video shows the ruins of Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas on Sunday, following the massive explosion on Saturday.