Iran’s Supreme Leader orders a thorough investigation into the explosion in southern Iran and declares a national day of mourning

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday ordered a thorough investigation into the causes of a massive explosion that struck the country’s largest commercial port on Saturday, killing 40 people and wounding more than 1,000.

“Security and judicial officials are required to conduct a thorough investigation to uncover any negligence or intent” in causing the explosion, Khamenei said in a statement read on state television.

The explosion, which was heard dozens of kilometers away, occurred around noon on Saturday (8:30 GMT) on the Shahid Rajaee port dock, where 85% of Iranian goods pass.

The port, located on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil production passes, is part of the greater Bandar Abbas area, home to approximately 650,000 people, and the area also includes a major Iranian naval base.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has ordered an investigation, inspected the site of the disaster earlier Sunday, according to footage broadcast live on state television.

He expressed his gratitude to the firefighters and paramedics, as well as to the members of the Revolutionary Guard and the army who responded to the disaster site.

State media quoted the Iranian customs authority as saying that “the explosion likely occurred due to the storage of hazardous materials and chemicals at the port”.

“Only one area of ​​the port was affected by the fire, and loading and unloading operations are continuing normally in several other areas,” Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadiq said.

The port’s numerous warehouses are spread over an area of ​​2,400 hectares.

For its part, the Iranian Ministry of Defense confirmed that there were no military shipments stored at the explosion site.

“There were no imports or exports of military fuel or fuel for military use in the area where the fire occurred or at Shahid Rajaee Port,” according to ministry spokesman.

The New York Times quoted a source linked to the Revolutionary Guard, who requested anonymity for security reasons, as saying that the explosion was caused by sodium perchlorate, a component of solid missile fuel.

On Sunday morning, a Iranian state television correspondent at the scene said, “The fire has been brought under control but has not yet been extinguished,” as thick black smoke billowed from the scene.

Twenty-four hours after the explosion, firefighting operations continue, with water-bombing planes and helicopters participating, while firefighters on the ground are using massive water hoses.

The Russian embassy in Tehran announced in a statement on Sunday that President Vladimir Putin has ordered the dispatch of several aircraft and specialists from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, adding that they will assist in firefighting operations at Shahid Rajaee Port.

“Schools, offices, and universities in Bandar Abbas will be closed on Sunday,” said Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of the province’s emergency services.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health urged residents to stay at home until further notice and to wear masks if they must go out.

The Iranian government declared a national mourning period on Monday, while authorities in Hormozgan province declared a three-day mourning period starting Sunday.

It wasn’t immediately known though, how many employees were at the port at the time of the explosion on Saturday, the first working day of the week in Iran.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Iskandar Momeni, who visited the scene, said that customs clearance and container loading operations had resumed.

The blast’s force was so intense that it toppled a row of trucks, turning them into wreckage.

The United Nations and several countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Pakistan, India, Türkiye, and Russia, offered their condolences to Iran.

In the first reaction from a major European country, the German embassy in Tehran posted a message on Instagram: “Bandar Abbas, we mourn with you”.

Iranian authorities didn’t indicate that the explosion was caused by sabotage.

Iran declared a day of mourning on Sunday for the victims of the explosion at Rajaee Port, near Bandar Abbas, whose death toll has risen to 28, with nearly 1,000 injured.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited the site of the explosion in the south of the country on Sunday, state media reported.

At the scene, Pezeshkian offered his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the hundreds of injured.

He said, “We came to see firsthand whether there is any action or issue that can be pursued and discussed with the government, and we will make every effort to care for the families of the victims who lost their lives”.