Latest news with #MehrdadHassanzadeh
New Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Iran minister blames 'negligence' for port blast that killed 65
TEHRAN: Iran's interior minister on Monday blamed "negligence" for a The blast occurred on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran's south, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. "The death toll has reached 65 in this horrific incident," Mohammad Ashouri, governor of the southern Hormozgan province where the port is located, told state television, adding that the fire has not been fully extinguished yet. Officials have said more than 1,000 people were injured. The province's crisis management director, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, said most had already been released after treatment. On Monday, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni told state TV that "culprits have been identified and summoned", and that the blast was caused by "shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence". Momeni, who has been in the area since hours after the blast, stated that the "investigation is still underway". Iran's state TV showed images of firefighters still dousing the flames Monday, and said the damage would be assessed after the fire was fully brought under control. Heavy charcoal-black smoke continued to billow over low flames at part of the site, above which a firefighting helicopter flew, pictures from the Iranian Red Crescent showed. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a probe into the incident. Smoke, then a fireball It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port's customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. CCTV images on social media showed it began gradually, with a small fire belching orange-brown smoke among a few containers stacked outside, across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drives past the area and men can be seen walking nearby. About one minute after the small fire and smoke become visible, a fireball erupts as vehicles pass nearby, with men running for their lives. President Masoud Pezeshkian visited hospitals treating the wounded on Sunday in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed, and have urged residents to avoid going outside "until further notice" and to use protective masks. The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate -- a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that "there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area". Iran's ally Russia has dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes. Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations were meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear programme. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel. According to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020.
Al Jazeera
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Fires continue to rage at key Iran port as death toll rises to 46
Firefighters continue to battle raging fires at Iran's largest commercial port, Bandar Abbas, two days after a massive explosion killed dozens and injured more than 1,000 people, Iranian state media report, as questions linger as to the blast's cause. 'The death toll in the Shahid Rajaei Port fire has reached 46,' the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday, quoting Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the crisis management director for Hormozgan province, where the port is located. Most of the injured had since been released after treatment, he added. Only '120 wounded are still in hospital', Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is visiting the affected area, told state TV on Monday. The blast took place on Saturday at Shahid Rajaei Port in Iran's south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. Iran's state TV showed images of firefighters dousing the flames, saying the damage would be assessed after the fire is fully brought under control. Heavy charcoal-black smoke continued to billow over low flames at part of the site, above which a firefighting helicopter flew, pictures from the Iranian Red Crescent showed. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, but the port's customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at a depot storing hazardous chemical materials. Momeni said on Monday that 'culprits have been identified and summoned', and that the blast was caused by 'shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence'. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. In the face of external and expert speculation, Iran has denied reports that the blast was caused by a shipment of missile fuel. On Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian visited hospitals treating the wounded in Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed and urged residents to avoid going outside 'until further notice' and use protective masks when doing so. Authorities declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began on Sunday in Hormozgan province. The explosion took place as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the explosion as an accident, it also comes against a backdrop of years of shadow war with regional enemy Israel. Iran has in the past accused Israel of being behind such attacks. According to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaei Port in 2020.
Arab News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Interior minister blames ‘negligence' for Iran port blast that killed 46
TEHRAN: Iran's minister of interior on Monday blamed 'negligence' for a massive explosion that killed 46 people at the country's largest commercial port, with firefighters still battling a blaze at the facility two days later. The blast took place on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran's south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. 'The death toll in the Shahid Rajaee Port fire has reached 46,' the official IRNA news agency reported, quoting Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the crisis management director for Hormozgan province. Officials have said more than 1,000 people were injured, with Hassanzadeh noting most had since been released after treatment. Only '120 wounded are still in hospital,' Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is in the area, told state TV on Monday. He added that 'culprits have been identified and summoned,' and that the blast was caused by 'shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence.' Iran's state TV showed images of firefighters still dousing the flames Monday, and said the damage would be assessed after the fire was fully brought under control. Heavy charcoal-black smoke continued to billow over low flames at part of the site, above which a firefighting helicopter flew, pictures from the Iranian Red Crescent showed. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a probe into the incident. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port's customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. CCTV images on social media showed it began gradually, with a small fire belching orange-brown smoke among a few containers stacked outside, across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drives past the area and men can be seen walking nearby. About one minute after the small fire and smoke become visible, a fireball erupts as vehicles pass nearby, with men running for their lives. President Masoud Pezeshkian visited hospitals treating the wounded on Sunday in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed, and have urged residents to avoid going outside 'until further notice' and to use protective masks. The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defense ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that 'there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area.' Iran's ally Russia has dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes. Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province, where the port is located. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations were meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear program, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel. According to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020.
Business Recorder
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Fires rage 2 days after Iran port blast killed 46
TEHRAN: Firefighters in Iran battled raging fires on Monday at the country's largest commercial port, two days after a massive explosion killed at least 46 people, state TV reported. The blast took place on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran's south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. 'The death toll in the Shahid Rajaee Port fire has reached 46,' the official IRNA news agency reported, quoting Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the crisis management director for Hormozgan province. Officials had said more than 1,000 people were injured but Hassanzadeh said most have now been released after treatment. Only '138 wounded are still in hospital,' he said. Iran's state TV showed images of firefighters dousing the flames, and said the damage will be assessed after the fire is fully brought under control. Death toll from blast at Iran's Bandar Abbas port rises to 40 Heavy charcoal-black smoke continued to billow over low flames at part of the site, above which a firefighting helicopter flew, pictures from the Iranian Red Crescent showed. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port's customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a probe into the incident to determine if there was 'any negligence or intent'. Smoke, then a fireball CCTV images on social media showed the incident began gradually, with a small fire and orange-brown smoke before a fireball erupted. The images appeared to show the small fire starting among a few containers stacked outside across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drove past the smoking area and men walked nearby. About one minute and eight seconds after the small fire and smoke were visible, a fireball erupted as vehicles passed nearby. Men ran for their lives. President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited hospitals treating the wounded in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed and urged residents to avoid going outside 'until further notice' and to use protective masks. The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate – a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that 'there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area'. Russia dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes. Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province, where the port is located. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel. According to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020.
Al Manar
28-04-2025
- Health
- Al Manar
Death Toll from Explosion at Southern Iranian Port Rises to 46
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of Hormozgan crisis management department, says that 46 individuals are now confirmed dead following a powerful explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. Hassanzadeh said on Monday that 1,072 injured have been discharged from hospitals, while 138 patients remain hospitalized. Nine of the injured victims were transferred to hospitals outside Hormozgan Province for specialized treatment. The injured people were treated to five hospitals, including Khatam al-Anbiya, Shahid Mohammadi, Khalij-e Fars, Saheb Al Zaman, and the Army's Sayyed Al-Shuhada. A total of 70 ambulances were deployed to transport those injured in this incident. Iranian authorities have formed a team to investigate the cause of the explosion; however, specific details about the incident remain unavailable. The massive explosion ravaged Shahid Rajaee Port on Saturday, causing significant damage to one of its 23 piers. Covering an area of approximately 2,400 hectares, Shahid Rajaee Port has the capacity to handle an annual cargo volume of 70 million tons.
