Massive explosion at largest port of Iran : 4 killed, 500 injured

Four people have died and more than 500 been injured after a chemical explosion at Iran's largest port, according to state media. The blast saw a huge cloud of black and orange smoke billow above Rajaei port, near the city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday.

Its impact shattered windows up to 16 miles away, with social media footage showing an office block near the port with its doors blown off. Babak Mahmoudi, head of Iran's rescue organisation, confirmed that four people have died and 516 sustained injuries.

Emergency workers were seen rescuing people among the debris, with footage showing the wounded crowding at the entrance of a nearby hospital.

Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's crisis management organisation, told the ILNA news agency that the cause of the blast was "the chemicals inside the containers" but did not elaborate further.

State TV reported that poor handling of flammable materials was a "contributing factor". Iran's interior ministry said it has launched an investigation.

Rajaei port is around 650 miles southeast of Tehran on the Strait of Hormuz. It is the largest in the country, handling 80 million tonnes of goods every year.

Industrial accidents are relatively common in Iran, which suffers from ageing oil infrastructure under international sanctions. Another incident in Bandar Abbas killed one worker in 2023.

Saturday's blast came as UN officials met in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme.