Death Toll and Injuries Rise in Iran After Explosion, Mourning Declared

The governor of Iran's Hormozgan province, Mohammad Ashouri, has declared a three-day mourning period following a devastating explosion at Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, which resulted in the deaths of 25 people and injured over 1,139, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.

The powerful blast occurred yesterday around noon at the Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas. An official representative of the Iranian government, Fatemeh Mohajerani, informed the Fars news agency that the explosion took place in a storage facility for chemical substances, although determining the exact cause remains challenging.

Meanwhile, media reports indicated that the explosion may have been triggered by the ignition of one of the fuel tanks. According to Iranian media, the blast was so powerful that it could be heard on Qeshm Island, located about 20 kilometers from the port of Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf. Windows were shattered across several kilometers as a result of the explosion. Authorities in the country have ordered inspections to begin.