Four killed, hundreds injured in explosion at southern Iran port

Tehran: A powerful explosion and fire at a port in southern Iran killed four people and injured at least 516 others, authorities said on Saturday. Babak Mahmoudi, head of the country’s rescue organization, made the announcement on state television.

The port, which handles about 80 million tonnes of cargo annually, is the Islamic Republic’s main container shipment destination. Social media videos showed plumes of black smoke rising after the explosion, with some footage capturing shattered glass panes several kilometres away from the blast site.

Authorities have not yet provided a cause for the explosion, though videos suggest the fire involved highly flammable material. State television reported that no energy infrastructure was damaged.

Industrial accidents are frequent in Iran, particularly at aging oil facilities affected by international sanctions. However, officials emphasized that Saturday’s explosion did not impact any oil or gas infrastructure.

The blast occurred as Iran and the United States met in Oman for the third round of talks on Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.