Iranian authorities announced today that they have finally extinguished the fire that broke out after an explosion at a major Iranian commercial port on Saturday, killing at least 70 people and injuring over 1000, the Beta agency reports.
The port allegedly received a chemical component needed for solid fuel for ballistic missiles - something authorities deny, although they have not explained the source of the energy that caused such destruction.
The explosion destroyed a building next to the blast site and also destroyed much of another building. Satellite images show two craters about 50 meters in diameter. Footage of the explosion on social media shows reddish smoke rising from the fire just before the detonation.
The explosion came just as Iran was beginning a third round of talks with the United States (US) over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. Authorities have yet to offer an explanation for the explosion.
Private security firm Ambri says the port received chemical rocket fuel in March. It was part of a shipment of ammonium perchlorate from China. The chemical, which is used to make solid rocket fuel, was supposed to be used in Iran's missile stockpile. The Iranian military has denied receiving the chemical shipment.
A report by the semi-official ISNA news agency claims that the cargo that caused the explosion was not even declared to customs authorities. Only high-ranking officials in Iran, such as the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, can bypass normal port procedures.
Reuters reported earlier today, citing Iranian state media, that the death toll in the explosion was at least 65.
Reuters also reported that the explosion that occurred on Saturday occurred in a section of the Shahid Rajaee port, Iran's largest container hub, shattering windows for several kilometers around, tearing metal straps from shipping containers and severely damaging the goods inside, state media reported.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a "thorough investigation" into the cause of the explosion yesterday.
"Security and judicial officials are obliged to conduct a thorough investigation to uncover negligence or intent" in causing the explosion, Khamenei said in a statement read on state television.
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