Around 12 noon on Saturday, April 26, coinciding with the third round of Tehran-Washington talks in Muscat, a massive explosion occurred at Rajaei Port in the city of Bandar Abbas. The blast shook the ground within at least a 50-kilometer radius and shattered windows of buildings.

Four days after the incident, videos circulating on social media show that the fire has yet to be contained.

On Monday, official sources reported that 70 people had died and 1,200 others were injured in the explosion at Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas.

Explosion at Iran’s Largest Commercial Port and Its Impact on the Economy

Meanwhile, a well-informed source told the state-run Etemad newspaper that as of Sunday noon, the Ministry of Health and all its affiliated organizations had been prohibited from releasing any statistics regarding the number of injured or deceased and the broader human impact of the explosion involving shipping containers at the Bandar Abbas port terminal.

The executive secretary of the Labor House in Hormozgan province stated that many women and truck drivers had been working at various sites within Rajaei Port and remain missing, with their families searching for them desperately each day.

Iranian regime’s officials have yet to announce the cause of the incident, though speculation began in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.

Habib Ghasemi, a member of the regime’s Parliamentary Construction Commission, stated that the Rajaei Port explosion resulted from human error and equipment deficiencies.

He said: “This incident shows that logistical infrastructure and equipment must be carefully assessed before such accidents occur. It seems that a combination of human error and equipment weakness, or even each independently, could have caused this incident.”

The Rajaei terminal where the explosion occurred is under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ports owned by or directly linked to the IRGC Navy lack the necessary infrastructure for container unloading.

The security firm Ambrey told the Associated Press that evidence suggests the explosion was caused by improper storage of sodium perchlorate at the port. According to the Financial Times, China had shipped consignments of this substance to Iran in January—at a time when Iran’s missile fuel reserves had been depleted following missile launches at Israel by Iran and its ally Hezbollah.

A two-week shutdown of this strategic port due to the damage sustained could deal a severe blow to the economy of Iran’s regime. This port is Iran’s most important commercial terminal.

Following an increase in toxic air pollutants, the Health Ministry of Iran’s regime declared a state of emergency in Hormozgan Province. The ministry urged people to stay indoors, keep their windows shut, and wear masks if they must go outside.

With the explosion on April 26, 2025, at Rajaei Port and the subsequent halt of operations there, approximately 57 percent of Iran’s nominal cargo handling capacity has been taken out of service. This port does not play a major role in the trade of essential goods but holds a special position in the oil products sector.

The Marine Affairs Department of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Hormozgan Province, located in southern Iran, announced after the explosion that maritime and port operations at Rajaei Wharf in Bandar Abbas have been temporarily suspended.

Despite claims by the Iranian regime’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development and some regime-aligned media outlets about the resumption of operations at Rajaei Port, the port is still burning.

At Least 40 Killed in Explosion of Extremely Dangerous Cargo at Rajaei Port in Southern Iran

This port, one of Iran’s most important economic terminals, has been burning since noon on Saturday, and the extent of the damage caused by three explosions and more than 36 hours of burning cannot be fully assessed until the fire is completely extinguished.

It is estimated that each day of the port’s closure inflicts approximately 25 million dollars in losses on Iran’s economy.

Data from the Ports and Maritime Organization of the Iranian regime shows that 57 percent of the country’s nominal commercial port capacity is concentrated at Rajaei Port. This port has a capacity of 160 million tons. The second largest, Khomeini Port, has a nominal capacity of only 60 million tons. The next one, Anzali Port, with a capacity of 13.6 million tons, is located in the north of the country and, due to its geographic position, plays a limited role in international trade. Bushehr Port also has only a nominal capacity of 13.4 million tons.

In the container sector, out of the 11 active ports in Iran, 77 percent of the country’s nominal container handling capacity—equivalent to 6,650,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, a standard measure where one 20-foot container equals one TEU)—is concentrated at Rajaei Port. The next port in this sector is Bushehr, with a registered capacity of only 550,000 TEU.

From March 21, 2024, to March 21, 2025, out of a total of 158,455,624 tons of goods transported through 21 ports across Iran, about 51 percent—equal to 81,020,482 tons—were either loaded or unloaded through Rajaei Port.

Approximately 52 percent of all oil products imported or exported through Iran’s 21 ports passed through Rajaei Port. From March 21, 2024, to March 21, 2025, out of a total of 52,542,000 tons of oil products, 27,149,000 tons were either loaded or unloaded at this port.

Share in Foreign Trade

Out of Iran’s total foreign trade worth 130 billion dollars from March 21, 2024, to March 21, 2025, based on customs data from the Iranian regime, 29.197 billion dollars were conducted through the “Special Economic Zone of Rajaei Port,” indicating that this zone accounts for twenty-two percent of the country’s total foreign trade.

In imports, out of a total of 72 billion dollars in goods brought into the country, 20.254 billion dollars were imported through this zone, reflecting a 21 percent share. In exports, out of 58 billion dollars’ worth of goods exported, 8.944 billion dollars were shipped through this zone, indicating a fifteen percent share.

Estimating the Impact of Port Activity Suspension

In May 2024, about half of the country’s total cargo handling, equivalent to 6,844,265 tons, was carried out through Rajaei Port. Eighty-seven percent of containerized goods during the same month, equivalent to 1,886,536 tons, were loaded or unloaded at this port.

Based on this, it can be estimated that each day of halted activity at this port would equate to a stoppage of approximately 221,000 tons of various goods and 61,000 tons of containerized goods. Additionally, in May of last year, about half of the country’s oil products—equivalent to 2,309,000 tons—were transported through this port, meaning that each day of suspension would result in the delay of approximately 75,000 tons of oil products.