At least eight people have been killed and more than 750 injured in a terrifying explosion at one of Iran's largest commercial ports.
The blast took place at the Port of Shahid Rajaee near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan on Saturday morning.
Residents reported feeling the impact of the explosion up to 30 miles away, with those nearby having their windows and roofs destroyed.
Helicopters dumped water from the air on the raging fire hours after the initial explosion, with some workers trapped under collapsed roofs.
Footage of the blast saw reddish-hued smoke rising from the fire just before the detonation, which suggests a chemical compound being involved.
“Get back get back! Tell the gas (truck) to go!” a man in one video shouted just before the blast. “Tell him to go, it’s going to blow up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!”
Iranian state media quoted witnesses as saying the incident occurred after a fire in the hazmat and chemical materials storage depot spread to unsealed containers storing "flammable materials".
Meanwhile, maritime risk assessors Ambrey Intelligence said the fire was the result of "improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles".
They said it was aware that an Iran-flagged ship "discharged a shipment of sodium perchlorate rocket fuel at the port in March 2025”.
The fuel is part of a shipment from China by two vessels to Iran first reported in January by The Financial Times.
The National Iranian Oil Company said the explosion had "no connection" to the nation’s oil refineries, tanks or pipelines.
The High Council for Disaster Management previously issued warnings to port workers regarding the safe storage of chemicals.
Much of Iran’s commercial shipping transits happens in Shahid Rajaee, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping channel for oil cargo.
It is also just 12 miles away from the major southern port of Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s main naval base.
President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his "deep regret and sympathy" for the victims and ordered the interior to lead an immediate investigation into the tragedy.
The explosion took place as officials from the United States arrived in Oman for a third round of talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
David Lammy will also visit the Persian Gulf country for the first time since be became Foreign Secretary where he will meet with political figures about the recent US-Iran talks.
