Iran’s Guardian Council head urges strict accountability in port blast

Any opposition to a potential nuclear agreement between Iran and the West is unlikely to gain traction, an Iranian political analyst said, noting that current negotiations are backed by the entire ruling establishment.

“Today, the entirety of the Islamic Republic is negotiating,” said Ahmad Zeidabadi in a recent interview. “If a deal is reached, it cannot be turned into a tool for domestic infighting,” he added, referencing how past nuclear talks were used in factional disputes between conservatives and reformists.

Zeidabadi argued that, unlike the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), this round of diplomacy is not being led by a single administration, but by a collective decision of the Iranian system. “The decision is not left on the shoulders of one person like [former President Hassan] Rouhani.”

Zeidabadi pointed to a recent unprecedented police raid on a group of pro-hijab protesters camped outside the Iranian parliament as a sign that the government is clamping down even on its traditional supporters when they defy state priorities.

“If anyone wants to oppose [a deal], they’ll be treated the same way,” he said.

The protesters, mostly conservative women, were demanding faster enforcement of strict hijab laws but were forcibly dispersed by hundreds of security forces after over 45 days of vigil.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said authorities should prioritize identifying the root causes of the Bandar Abbas port explosion over assigning blame, warning that early finger-pointing could lead to concealment.

“Seeking a scapegoat too soon can encourage people to hide the truth,” he said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He called the storage of large volumes of containers at the port “unacceptable” and urged structural reforms in port and customs management.

At least 70 people were killed in the April 26 blast.

Iran’s Red Crescent said search efforts for the missing continue at the site of the deadly explosion in Bandar Abbas, which killed at least 70 and injured more than 1,200 people.

“The search operation at Shahid Rajaei port continues under difficult conditions until the situation is fully stabilized,” said Mokhtar Salahshour, head of the Red Crescent’s Hormozgan branch, at a mourning ceremony for the victims.

The third round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Muscat concluded without a breakthrough, as both sides remained divided on five key technical issues, Khabar Online reported Wednesday.

Despite what officials described as detailed expert-level discussions, significant technical disagreements remain unresolved, hindering any breakthrough, added the website.

According to the report, the two sides remain sharply divided over five key areas: the level of uranium enrichment, the size and management of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, the scope of inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), mechanisms for lifting US sanctions, and legal or political guarantees to ensure compliance with any potential deal.

The Iranian delegation argued that enrichment up to 20 percent is essential for civilian applications, particularly medical isotope production at the Tehran Research Reactor. They maintained that Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology is non-negotiable, the report added.

In contrast, the US team, headed by Michael Anton, demanded a full return to the JCPOA framework, including reducing enrichment to the 3.67 percent limit and dismantling advanced centrifuges such as the IR-6, said Khabar Online. American negotiators insisted that high-level enrichment, even for declared civilian use, poses proliferation risks that must be curtailed.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government would fully support the families of those killed in the Rajaei port explosion, calling the incident “deeply painful and distressing.”

“We will address every aspect of your needs,” he told victims’ relatives at a state-sponsored labor conference on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said the government had approved measures to ensure the families would face no hardship. “We will not allow these loved ones to encounter problems in their lives,” he said.

However, Iranian insurance firms said they will only compensate victims of port explosion in line with their existing contracts.

“Each company pays according to its own commitment, not beyond that,” Alborz Insurance CEO Mousa Rezaei told Tuesday.