Eighteen more victims of the Rajaei port explosion have been identified using DNA from relatives, said Reza Raeoufian, head of Iran’s genetic identity database.
He said 29 families came forward after the Legal Medicine Organization issued a call for DNA samples.
Samples from 11 families did not match any of the unidentified remains.
Authorities had previously identified 36 bodies through other scientific methods. The confirmed identities now stands at 54 out of 70 reported dead.
Air pollution in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas has increased following recent explosions, said Hormozgan Medical Sciences University head Pejman Shahrokhi.
Preliminary assessments detected toxic gases and particles, prompting public health concerns. Shahrokhi said the Health Ministry had investigated the issue and concluded the pollution did not exceed critical danger levels. However, officials have urged vulnerable residents—particularly the elderly, children, and those with underlying conditions—to remain indoors when possible and to wear masks outdoors.
“The contamination is ongoing,” Shahrokhi said, adding that monitoring efforts continue in coordination with health and emergency services.
Russian President Vladimir Putin opposed a plan floated by Oman’s Sultan to move Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile to Russia, the conservative Iranian daily Farhikhtegan reported Sunday.
According to the newspaper, the Kremlin's refusal came just before US proposals regarding Iran’s nuclear materials were presented to Moscow during talks involving FM Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman.
“The core issue is Putin’s personal opposition to the proposal,” Farhikhtegan wrote, saying Sultan Haitham bin Tariq traveled to Moscow in part to discuss the matter.
Kremlin and Iranian officials have not publicly commented on the report.
