At least 40 have been reported dead and over 1,200 injured following a huge explosion that ripped through the Shahid Rajaee terminal at Iran's Bandar Abbas port on Saturday, Iranian state media said. Fires continued to rage well into Sunday night, with emergency crews battling to control the damage. The explosion, which broke windows up to several kilometers away and ripped metal containers asunder, comes as Iran engages in critical nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman.

Preliminary reports indicate that improperly stored chemical materials may have triggered the blast. Iran's Defence Ministry, however, refuted foreign media allegations that the explosion was caused by missile fuel consignments, and described reports as "aligned with enemy psyops.". British security company Ambrey disclosed that Bandar Abbas received a March 2025 shipment of sodium perchlorate from China, an important component of solid missile fuel. Another source linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps informed The New York Times that the cargo stayed at the port for months. Despite the toxic potential of the chemical, authorities so far have dismissed any connection to military shipments.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the site of Sunday's blast, severely denouncing bad port management. “Did we have to hold the container here for 3-4 months, until we had 120-140 thousand containers stored?” he appealed, requesting that reforms be done urgently. Government representative Fatemeh Mohajerani demanded prudence against rumors, stating complete findings would be made available after investigations. Officials confirmed that the fire had been brought under control to 90 per cent by Sunday afternoon, with unaffected sections of Shahid Rajaee port returning to operation.