Misdeclared cargo, negligence blamed in preliminary Iran port blast findings

Iranian environmental officials said there has been no detectable leak of hazardous materials into the Persian Gulf following the explosion at Bandar Abbas’s Rajaei port.

Habib Masihi Taziani, head of the Hormozgan province environment department, told ISNA news agency that no significant spill or release of toxic substances had been recorded and that pollution was under control.

He said damage assessments would begin after the crisis management phase ends. Soil pollution monitoring is ongoing, and containment measures such as earthen barriers have been installed to prevent any contamination of coastal waters, he added.

A video obtained by Iran International shows a large crater formed by the explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, days after the blast that killed at least 70 people.

Another video shows the main explosion site, with the surrounding area described by a witness as "turned into a hill of debris and ruins," Iran International reported.

An Iranian member of parliament criticized the government's reliance on potential goodwill from the United States in ongoing nuclear negotiations, saying that the economy should depend on domestic capabilities rather than the "smiles of an enemy whose job is nothing but deception.”

Addressing an open session of parliament on Tuesday, Mohammad Pakmehr said the country’s economy should rely on domestic power and Iranian workers.

Pakmehr questioned whether this approach aligned with the vision of the Supreme Leader, cautioning against being deceived by what he described as illusions.

He pointed to the experience of the previous nuclear deal, the JCPOA, saying, "The enemy remains the enemy, and their nature is to be hostile. We witnessed the JCPOA, a deal where promises yielded only the barrenness of autumn instead of blossoms, an agreement that... wounded the pride of an entire nation."

Iranian forensic authorities have collected DNA samples from the bodies of 19 unidentified victims killed in the Bandar Abbas port explosion, state media reported on Tuesday.

Reza Raoufian, head of the genetic laboratories at the Legal Medicine Organization, said some remains could not be identified through visual examination alone.

He urged relatives of those missing after the blast to visit their local forensic offices to provide DNA samples for matching.

Both the United States and Iran are in dire need of a new nuclear agreement, despite remaining obstacles, according to an op-ed published in Gulf News.

Columnist Osama Al Sharif argues that recent developments, including the third round of indirect negotiations in Oman involving technical experts, suggest a growing momentum towards a deal, with both sides expressing cautious optimism.

He attributes this shift to several factors, including President Donald Trump's desire for a foreign policy breakthrough and Iran's vulnerability following regional setbacks.

"Trump, who was hoping to end the war in Ukraine on day one as promised, is looking for a foreign policy breakthrough," Al Sharif wrote. "While President Vladimir Putin showed little interest in embracing a deal that would require him to give up territory, the Iranians, on the other hand, appeared compromised after a series of regional setbacks in Syria and Lebanon."

The columnist added that while Trump had previously withdrawn the US from the 2015 nuclear deal and criticized it as weak, he is now actively pursuing a new agreement potentially similar to the 2015 agreement. This shift, Al Sharif suggests, is driven by Trump's desire to secure a significant foreign policy achievement.

He cautioned that “What could bog down the talks, though, are other issues, such as Iran’s long-range missile program, its support of regional proxies, and its strategic ties to China and Russia.”