Iranian Official Dismisses Sabotage Claims in Deadly Port Explosion
An Iranian provincial governor on Tuesday rejected claims that sabotage was behind a massive explosion and fire at a key southern port that killed at least 70 people and injured over 1,200. Mohammad Ashouri Taziani, governor of Hormozgan province, said preliminary investigations into Saturday’s incident at Shahid Rajaee Port found no substantial evidence supporting the theory that the blast was intentional.
“Some foreign media raised the speculation that the incident had probably been the result of an act of sabotage,” he said, but added that the theory lacked “sufficient strength” according to early findings.
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The explosion, one of the deadliest industrial incidents in Iran in recent years, caused widespread damage at the busy port facility on the Persian Gulf, which plays a vital role in Iran’s trade. Footage shared by local media showed large-scale fires and emergency teams responding to the aftermath.
Ashouri Taziani cited a statement from the provincial crisis management headquarters, which pointed to inadequate safety protocols and a failure to follow passive defense measures—guidelines meant to protect critical infrastructure from both accidental and intentional harm.
Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni also attributed the disaster to “certain negligence,” indicating that human error and systemic safety failures likely played a role.
While the government has launched an official investigation, the scale of the casualties and damage has fueled speculation abroad, particularly given regional tensions and Iran’s history of industrial accidents under disputed circumstances.
