Iran Port Explosion Caused by ‘Negligence’, Says Interior Minister

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
TT
20

Iran Port Explosion Caused by ‘Negligence’, Says Interior Minister

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said Monday that a deadly explosion at the country's largest commercial port two days ago was caused by "negligence" and failure to comply with safety measures.  

"Some culprits have been identified and summoned ... There were shortcomings, including incompliance with safety precautions and negligence in terms of passive defense," Momeni told state TV, adding that the materials should have been dispersed.

Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press on Monday showed the devastation of the explosion that rocked the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas as the death toll rose to 70 people with over 1,000 injured.

The photos from Planet Labs PBC came as local news reports from the site raised more questions about the cause of the blast. The port reportedly took in a chemical component needed for solid fuel for ballistic missiles — something denied by authorities though they've not explained the source of the power that caused such destruction.

The blast Saturday disintegrated a building next to the blast site, which appeared to be in a row where other containers once stood, the satellite photos showed. It also shredded the majority of another building just to the west.

The force of the blast also could be seen, with what appeared to be two craters measuring some 50 meters (165 feet) across. Other containers nearby appeared smashed and distended by the explosion and the intense fire that followed.

The fire still burned at the site Monday, some two days after the initial explosion that happened just as Iran began a third round of negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Authorities still haven't offered an explanation for the explosion.

Private security firm Ambrey says the port received missile fuel chemical in March. It was part of a shipment of ammonium perchlorate from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the Financial Times. The chemical used to make solid propellant for rockets 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 Iranian military denied receiving the chemical shipment.

Social media footage of the explosion saw reddish-hued smoke rising from the fire just before the detonation. That suggests a chemical compound being involved in the blast, like in the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

Late Sunday, Iran's semiofficial ILNA news agency quoted Saeed Jafari, the CEO of marine services company working at the port, as saying there were false statements about the cargo that detonated, which he called “very dangerous.”

“The incident happened following a false statement about the dangerous goods and delivering it without documents and tags,” Jafari said.

Another report by the semiofficial ISNA news agency claimed the cargo that caused the blast was not reported to customs authorities as well.

Only high-level authorities in Iran, such as its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, could circumvent normal procedures at the port.



Dump Truck Crashes Into Minibus in Indonesia, Killing 11 Kindergarten Teachers

Police and people inspect the wreckage of a minibus after crashing with a dump truck in Purworejo, Central Java Province, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/ Zain Firmansyah)
Police and people inspect the wreckage of a minibus after crashing with a dump truck in Purworejo, Central Java Province, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/ Zain Firmansyah)
TT
20

Dump Truck Crashes Into Minibus in Indonesia, Killing 11 Kindergarten Teachers

Police and people inspect the wreckage of a minibus after crashing with a dump truck in Purworejo, Central Java Province, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/ Zain Firmansyah)
Police and people inspect the wreckage of a minibus after crashing with a dump truck in Purworejo, Central Java Province, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/ Zain Firmansyah)

A dump truck crashed into a minibus on a downhill road in Indonesia's Central Java province, killing 11 people, all of them kindergarten teachers, officials said Wednesday.
The truck, loaded with construction materials, collided with the minibus before crashing into a house in Kalijambe village, in Purwerjo district, The Associated Press reported. The minibus was carrying a group of teachers from Magelang district who were attending a funeral in Purworejo district, the local disaster management agency said in a statement.
“The truck allegedly lost control and hit the minibus,” said Andry Agustiano, the Purworejo police chief. He added the police officers immediately opened an investigation.
Several ambulances transported the bodies and other injured victims, including the truck driver and the owner of the house, to a nearby hospital.
Road accidents are common in Indonesia because of poor safety standards and infrastructure.
On Tuesday, a bus carrying 34 passengers sped out of control on and overturned in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province, killing at least 12 people.