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As of 3 pm on Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence forces have taken full control of the Shahid Rajaei Port area, including port facilities and adjacent customs buildings, Iran International has learned.
Sources indicate that even the port's security guards and customs protection personnel have been denied access to these zones.
Reports also suggest that IRGC forces are preventing vehicle owners from retrieving their cars parked in the limited-access parking areas of the Shahid Rajaei port and customs facilities.
In the city of Bandar Abbas, even in eastern districts far from the port, air pollution levels are so high that residents widely report the smell of burning and nasal irritation.
The eastern and northern exit routes from Bandar Abbas are experiencing heavy traffic due to a significant exodus of residents.
According to local citizens, the initial explosion caused ground tremors that many mistook for a major earthquake.
The death toll from the port explosion in southern Iran has increased to 14, the Islamic Republic's interior minister Eskandar Momeni announced on state TV.
Momeni said that 750 people have been injured, with 300 still hospitalized in Bandar Abbas hospitals.
"Some of the patients who require further care will be transferred to Tehran tonight," he told reporters.
The color of the smoke from the first explosion at Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas suggests the presence of a large amount of sodium, defense and security analyst Farzin Nadimi told Iran International.
"The color of the smoke from the first explosion is completely yellow, which indicates the presence of a large amount of sodium in the blast," Nadimi said.
"Sodium is the main material used to produce sodium perchlorate — the same chemical that was unloaded at Bandar Abbas in February and March this year. This chemical, imported from China, is combined with ammonium chloride to produce ammonium perchlorate, which is used in the production of solid missile fuel," he added.
