Rajaei Port Explosion Due to Procedural Error

TEHRAN, TUESDAY — The Iranian government's investigative committee concluded that the cause of the explosion at Shahid Rajaei Port was procedural error. This conclusion refutes allegations that the explosion was related to improper handling of ammonium perchlorate.

Quoted from the Iranian news agency, IRNA, the Committee for Investigating the Causes of the Fire stated on Monday (28/4/2025) evening local time or Tuesday Indonesian time, that the explosion occurred due to the failure of the parties to adhere to safety principles and passive defense standards. The committee also stated that it would identify individuals or parties suspected of causing the incident.

"The determination of the cause of this incident requires time for a thorough investigation, including technical and laboratory processes. Implementation steps are currently being pursued, and the final results will be disclosed to the public as soon as possible," said the committee in a statement.

There is no adequate and more detailed explanation regarding the negligence referred to by the committee. Similarly, it is unclear what is meant by passive defense standards, whether it pertains to the storage of military supplies or not.

Previously, Iranian Minister of Interior Eskandar Momeni opened the possibility of negligence in port operations that led to a large explosion. On Monday, Momeni stated that the perpetrators have been identified and summoned.

The explosion has been successfully contained on Monday. The number of casualties from the explosion continues to rise. Currently, according to the Director of Crisis Management of Hormozgan Province, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the death toll from the explosion has reached 70 people.

Satellite imagery successfully analyzed by The Associated Press reveals the massive level of destruction at the port due to the explosion. Photos from Planet Labs PBS show the devastation of numerous buildings in the vicinity of the explosion, including a row of containers.

From the circulating photos, the force of the explosion is quite significant as two craters measuring approximately 50 meters are clearly visible at the site. There are no details yet regarding the depth of the two craters, which could potentially assist in estimating the strength of the explosion at the time of the incident.

A video from a surveillance camera distributed by the Fars news agency shows that a small fire started among the containers, with several workers moving away from the scene, before a large explosion ended the video recording. The fire continued to burn until Monday, two days after the incident, before it was finally extinguished by the authorities.

The Iranian military denied receiving a shipment of chemicals. On Sunday night, the semi-official Iranian news agency, LINA, quoted a statement from Saeed Jafari, the CEO of a maritime services company operating at the port, who revealed that the information regarding the exploded cargo was false. "The incident occurred following false statements about hazardous goods and sending them without documentation and labels," Jafari said.

Another report by the semi-official news agency, ISNA, claims that the cargo that caused the explosion was not reported to the customs authorities. Only high-level authorities in Iran, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), can bypass normal procedures at the port.

The United States media, The New York Times, quoted a source with ties to the IRGC as saying that the material that caused the loud explosion came from sodium perchlorate, the main ingredient for missile solid fuel.

The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Defense, Reza Talaei Nik, denied this to state television. He stated that there are no import or export cargos for military fuel or military needs in the area.

So far, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's aides have treated the incident as an accident, although in recent weeks, relations between Iran and its regional adversary, Israel, have become increasingly tense. Iran is also negotiating its nuclear program with the United States, which has entered its second round.

Meanwhile, according to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaei Port in 2020. (AP/AFP)