At least 47 injured in Bandar Abbas port explosion – local officials

The explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei port was not caused by an ammonia tank, and no fatalities have been reported so far, Iran’s state TV reported on Saturday.

The blast was linked to a container, but it remains unclear what the container held, state media said. A building near the blast site also collapsed, according to the report.

Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, Hormozgan’s crisis management chief, said the explosion was triggered by "the detonation of several stored containers in the port yard." Injured individuals were being evacuated, he told local media.

Iran’s customs authority said on Saturday that hazardous goods and chemicals stored at Bandar Abbas port were likely the cause of the explosion at Shahid Rajaee terminal.

The blast occurred about two kilometers from the customs administration building, officials said.

Trucks that had completed customs formalities are being allowed to leave the port area, customs officials added.

The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) said in a statement that "the explosion had no connection with the refineries, fuel storage tanks, or oil pipelines related to this company in the area," and that "operations at facilities in Bandar Abbas are continuing without interruption." It added that firefighting and emergency teams from nearby oil companies were on standby to assist port authorities.

Iran’s Mehr News Agency, citing an informed source, reported Saturday that the talks in Muscat are not related to missile issues.

This comes after Reuters reported on Friday that the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran are not limited to Tehran’s disputed nuclear program but also include its missile program, citing an Iranian official with knowledge of the talks.

According to Reuters, following a second round of talks in Rome on April 19, Iranian negotiators were "persuaded that the US had accepted Tehran's position that it would not entirely end its enrichment program or surrender all the uranium it has enriched already".

However, the official said Iran’s missile program remained a big sticking point. "The only remaining point of disagreement in the general discussions and mutual understanding is the missile issue," Reuters quoted the official as saying.