Multiple outlets report that a massive explosion and fire devastated an Iranian port Saturday in the southern part of the country, killing at least eight people and injuring approximately 750 others.

According to CNN, the explosion occurred at the port of Bandar Abbas in southwestern Iran.

A massive explosion, possibly caused by ammonium nitrate the same highly-explosive chemical which caused the Beirut explosion in 2020, has rocked the port of Bandar Abbas this morning in Southern Iran. Iranian media is reporting over 400 injures, while the death toll is still… pic.twitter.com/TrVkR70Zzy

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 26, 2025

Per CNN:

The explosion sent a huge plume of thick, gray smoke from the Shahid Rajaee part of the port complex, according to videos geolocated by CNN, with the government saying the blast was likely linked to chemicals being stored.

Iran’s Minister of Interior Eskandar Momeni said six people remain missing as firefighters continue to work to extinguish the blaze, despite challenges posed by high winds, Iranian media reported.

No cause has been given for the explosion. A government spokeswoman, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said it would take some time to establish the cause “but so far what has been determined is that containers were stored in a corner of the port that likely contained chemicals which exploded.

She added: “But until the fire is extinguished, it’s hard to ascertain the cause.”

Iranian authorities have declared a state of emergency in the city of Bandar Abbas to safeguard citizens amid a “significant rise in air pollution.”

The Ministry of Health has mobilized health teams and implemented emergency measures to protect public health. Citizens are advised to stay indoors, avoid outdoor activities, and keep windows closed, according to official Iranian media.

🇮🇷DEADLY EXPLOSION ROCKS IRANIAN PORT — MISSILE FUEL LINKED TO BLAST

A huge explosion at Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas killed 5 people and injured over 700, just as U.S. and Iran were holding nuclear talks.

Iran says the blast came from “hazardous chemicals” — but… https://t.co/LKQ3dnBuaE pic.twitter.com/TiYBUSsXcE

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 26, 2025

From the Associated Press:

No one in Iran outright suggested that the explosion came from an attack. However, even Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, on Wednesday acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.”

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni gave the casualty figure in an interview on state television. But there were few details on what sparked the blaze just outside of Bandar Abbas, which burned into Saturday night, causing other containers to reportedly explode.

The port took in a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” in March, the private security firm Ambrey said. The fuel is part of a shipment from China by two vessels to Iran first reported in January by the Financial Times. The fuel was going to be used to replenish Iran’s missile stocks, which had been depleted by its direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The fire was reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey said.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press put one of the vessels believed to be carrying the chemical in the vicinity in March, as Ambrey said. Iran hasn’t acknowledged taking the shipment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations didn’t respond to a request for comment on Saturday.