“The intensity of the fire in Shahid Rajaee Port has increased and it is possible that the fire could spread to other areas and containers”, the broadcaster said.
The explosion rocked Shahid Rajaee port in Iran’s Bandar Abbas city on Saturday afternoon, killing at least eight people and injuring nearly 750, according to state media.
The blast, which was felt in nearby cities, was triggered by an explosion of several cargo containers at the port in the city of Bandar Abbas.
The Associated Press has cited a possible link to a recent shipment of rocket fuel from China intended to replenish Iran’s missile stocks, which have been depleted by the country’s attacks on Israel in the course of its war with Hamas in Gaza.
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According to private security firm Ambrey, the port took in a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” in March.
Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management organisation, appeared to blame the explosion on poor storage of chemicals in containers.
“The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers,” he told Iran’s ILNA news agency.
Saturday’s explosion shattered windows within several kilometres, with social media videos showing a mushroom cloud forming after the blast.
The port lies about 1,050 kilometres southeast of Tehran, along the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway to the Persian Gulf through which 20% of global oil trade passes, according to the Associated Press.
The explosion comes at a time when Iran is holding a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman. However, there has been no indication of a link between the two events.
With inputs from agencies
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