Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Sunday, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin extended assistance to Iran following a devastating explosion in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, also expressing his condolences for the casualties.
Putin expressed his “words of sincere sympathy and support to the families of the victims, along with his wishes for a recovery to all those injured,” according to a message published on the Kremlin website.
What caused the deadly blast at Bandar Abbas Port?
A large explosion and fire shook a southern Iran port on Saturday, allegedly connected to a shipment of a chemical component used in missile propellant. This incident resulted in the deaths of 25 individuals and injuries to approximately 800 others.
Throughout the night until Sunday morning, helicopters and aircraft dropped water from the sky to combat the fierce fire at Shahid Rajaei port. The explosion took place just as Iran and the United States convened in Oman on Saturday for the third round of discussions regarding Tehran’s swiftly progressing nuclear program.
No one in Iran explicitly claimed that the explosion was an attack. Nonetheless, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was at the forefront of the discussions, admitted on Wednesday that
“our security services are on high alert due to previous attempts at sabotage and assassination operations meant to incite a legitimate response.”
State media reported casualty numbers, noting that officials have identified just 10 victims, including two women. State TV reported that the fire is under control and will be completely extinguished later on Sunday. Additionally, it noted that operations at the port have resumed, displaying footage of containers being unloaded from a commercial ship.
Limited information is available about what ignited the fire near Bandar Abbas, which reportedly caused other containers to explode.
Was the Iranian explosion linked to missile materials?
According to private security firm Ambrey, the port received missile fuel chemicals in March. This shipment, consisting of ammonium perchlorate from China, was delivered to Iran via two vessels and was first reported by the Financial Times in January. The chemical, which is used to produce solid propellant for rockets, was intended to replenish Iran’s missile stocks which were diminished due to its direct assaults on Israel during the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
