A series of powerful explosions rocked Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran on Saturday. According to Iranian media reports, 36 people were killed and approximately 516 others were injured. Footage from the scene showed flames and thick black smoke billowing over the port's structures.
Although Iranian authorities said they would wait before issuing an official statement regarding the explosions, Iranian parliament member Mohammad Saraj openly accused Israel on Sunday.
According to Saraj, explosive materials were either inserted into the containers at their country of origin or during their transport. "We are not ruling out the possibility that internal elements within the country were involved in planting the explosives at Shahid Rajaee Port. There is clear evidence indicating Israeli involvement," he said.
Saraj further stated that the explosions occurred simultaneously at four different locations. Nevertheless, footage from security cameras indicated that before one of the explosions, a fire had broken out in a container filled with dangerous chemicals, according to the authorities. A source with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed to The New York Times that one of the materials involved was a volatile chemical commonly used as rocket fuel.
Meanwhile, Iran's Emergency Management Organization said that firefighters had been dispatched from the provinces of Tehran, Bushehr, Kerman and Fars to assist in battling the blaze, which was still raging. Officials noted that while the fire had been contained in certain sections of the dock, efforts were ongoing.
Iran declared three days of mourning following the explosion. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited the area and met with victims of the blast. In a video circulating online, Pezeshkian is seen telling one of the wounded: "If I were you, I would get up and leave the hospital." Iran's Interior Minister also visited the site and pledged that the investigation would be conducted transparently and that those responsible would be brought to justice.
