Iran says port fire may take 15 to 20 days to fully extinguish

The full extinguishing of the fire at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Shahid Rajaei port could take 15 to 20 days, a crisis management official said on Tuesday.

Hossein Zafari, spokesman for Iran’s crisis management organization, said the situation had improved significantly since Monday, with less black smoke and more white smoke, indicating a decline in active flames.

"Some containers contain slow-burning materials, and complete extinguishing and transfer will take time," Zafari said, according to ILNA news agency.

Local teams from the Red Crescent, forensic medicine, and police are continuing search and identification efforts for missing persons. Zafari said 22 people were officially registered as missing but cautioned the number could change as investigations continue.

He added that the fire was now under local control, allowing national emergency crews, including those from Tehran, to withdraw from the scene.