A massive explosion at the Shahid Rajaee Port was not caused by “military-related export or import cargoes,” an Iranian Defense Ministry official said, according to Iranian state media. This came as the death toll rose to 28, Iran said on Sunday, April 27.
This is an important incident and Iran’s government is not seeking to hide or downplay it. Iranian state media has called it a huge “blast” that killed 28 and left some 750 wounded, with at least six still missing.
Iran says it has only identified 10 victims so far but is trying get details of the rest. “Following the incident, the officials of the province have declared three days of public mourning in the province. Addressing the Hormozgan crisis management meeting, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said all necessary measures had been taken, and President Masoud Pezeshkian had issued order in this regard, Iranian state media reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is closely following events and has been in touch with local officials. Iranian state media says this is to mobilize “all resources to assist the injured.” The goal here is that the large explosion will not lead to wider protests or to concern about the failures within the Iranian regime.
Of particular interest is the report from the Iranian Defense Minister that “there were no military-related export or import cargoes at Shahid Rajaee Port, where a massive blast has left at least 28 people dead.” A spokesperson for the ministry Brig.-Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik said on Sunday that the rumors about the explosion being caused by defense-related cargo were wrong. He called this “targeted misinformation and propaganda” spread by foreign media.
Hundreds of people remain in hospitals
Iran is clearly concerned. Some have said the explosion reminds them of the explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020. In that case, it was never entirely clear who was at fault or if the ammonium nitrate that was stored improperly was linked to Hezbollah. Hezbollah is backed by Iran. Iran believes that the port explosion could be used to undermine the regime.
“Based on investigations and documented evidence, there were and are no import or export shipments related to fuel or military use in the area affected by the fire at the port,” Talaei-Nik said. He said that Iran will soon determine the “primary and secondary causes of the fire.”
Pezeshkian is seeking to show leadership. Along with his Interior Minister, he is attempting to project stability and strength. This is important because Iran is in the midst of talks with the United States about its nuclear program. Yet, if the country can’t secure its ports, how can it secure its nuclear facilities
Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson for the Iranian administration, “said that the situation is under control, with a significant portion of the fire contained. According to the spokesperson, firefighters are working to extinguish the remaining 20% of the fire,” IRNA reported in Iran.
Mohajerani said that 1,139 people had been treated at healthcare centers. Iran’s Health and Medical Education Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi said that resources had been mobilized. At least 300 people remain in hospitals in Iran due to the blast, according to Pir-Hossein Kolivand, the head of the Iranian branch of the Red Crescent Society.
“Kolivand also said that search and rescue operations are ongoing at Shahid Rajaee Port, with some injured patients being sent to Tehran for treatment. The extinguishing operation continues, but the overall situation is under control,” IRNA noted.
Iran says that the Shahid Rajaee Port is Iran’s biggest container hub, handling almost 80% of the country’s container activities. “The strategic port can accommodate Panamax cargo ships with a capacity of more than 12,000 TEU. The port’s capacity is envisaged to increase to 8 million TEU when the construction operations are complete.”
This kind of messaging from state media shows Iran is seeking to portray itself as being transparent about this explosion.
The fact that it is seeking to portray itself as transparent doesn’t mean it is being transparent. However, it is attempting to indicate that it is treating this matter with the utmost concern rather than resorting to obfuscation.