Iran tight-lipped on cause of deadly port explosion amid reports of possible presence of chemicals used to fuel missiles

[groundloop]

Source: CNN

Iranian authorities have not said what caused the massive explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, killing at least 28 people, but video footage and unconfirmed reports point to the possible presence of a chemical used to make missile propellant.

Eyewitness accounts and video indicate chemicals in an area of shipping containers caught fire, setting off a much larger explosion. The death toll spiked sharply following the incident, with 800 others also reported injured.

One surveillance video distributed by the Fars news agency shows a small fire beginning among containers, with a number of workers moving away from the scene, before a huge explosion ends the video feed.

CNN has previously reported that hundreds of tons of a critical chemical for fueling Iran’s ballistic missile program arrived at the port in February. Another shipment is reported to have arrived in March.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/27/middleeast/iran-tightlipped-port-explosion-intl/index.html