Six days have passed since the explosion at Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas. Yet no reliable statistics have been released by official sources about the number of those killed, injured, or missing. Regime authorities, who themselves have acknowledged 70 deaths, dozens missing, and hundreds wounded, have urged the public not to “exaggerate” the incident. Tehran’s prosecutor’s office has filed charges against those disseminating news about Bandar Abbas. Meanwhile, the public blames the regime and is outraged by the declaration of just one day of public mourning for Bandar Abbas compared to five days of mourning for Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s delayed condolence message, in which he merely “prayed for mercy” for the victims.
Around noon on Saturday, April 26, a massive explosion occurred at Rajaei Port, a vital economic artery of Iran, and the resulting fire still has not been extinguished. In the early hours following the blast, harrowing videos and images circulated showing desperate people searching for missing loved ones and hospitals filled with victims, sparking widespread reactions.
Explosion at Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas Leaves Over 700 Injured and 5 Death
The grief of citizens over the tragedy that struck their loved ones, neighbors, and compatriots—grief that resonated across Iran and the world—turned into anger when Khamenei, after a day of silence, issued a condolence message merely “praying for mercy” for the victims. Masoud Pezeshkian, the regime’s president, told an injured man lying in a hospital bed, “If I were in your place, I’d get up and leave right now.”
Then came a wave of denial from regime officials. For instance, Farzaneh Sadegh, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, who visited Bandar Abbas, claimed that life in the city was “normal.”
At the same time, reports emerged that the judiciary was prosecuting those who reported on the suffering of the people. Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the regime’s judiciary, announced one day after the Rajaei Port explosion that, following the publication of “some content and differing accounts of the Bandar Rajaei incident in Bandar Abbas,” Tehran’s prosecutor had filed legal cases against several media outlets and social media activists. The outlet also reported that other media organizations and users had received official warnings. On the same day of the explosion—while eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation and bloodshed—the national prosecutor’s office issued a statement warning the media and online activists to refrain from covering topics that could “disrupt the psychological security of society.”
But the censorship didn’t stop there. While official entities censored information regarding the cause of the explosion and ignored the Iranian public’s demand for answers, the regime’s official ISNA news agency published a report quoting Iran’s Customs Administration regarding the exploded cargo. Hours later, the article was deleted. The ISNA report had stated that the cargo in question was not under the jurisdiction of Customs—a claim that aligned with early speculations that the blast was caused by ballistic missile fuel belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The regime-affiliated news agency Tabnak reported that hours after Esfandiar Momeni, the regime’s Minister of Interior, claimed that no Russian aircraft had been involved in the firefighting operation, the Russian Embassy in Iran released videos showing their aircraft participating.
Earlier media reports had revealed that sodium perchlorate, which arrived at the port from China in March, was being stored at the site. This chemical is used in solid fuel for long-range missiles. Regardless, Rajaei Port is entirely under the control of the IRGC, and the responsibility for this national disaster lies with Iran’s regime. So far, 70 people have been confirmed dead, and many more remain missing.
