Blast at Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port kills 40, Khamenei calls for probe

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At least 40 people were killed and around 1,000 others injured in a massive explosion on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee port near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran's Hormozgan province, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

Following the blast, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for a thorough investigation, urging security and judicial officials to identify any negligence.

In a message carried by state television, Khamenei said, "Security and judicial officials are obliged to thoroughly investigate, uncover any negligence or intent, and follow up in accordance with regulations."

Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited hospitalised survivors of the blast, and expressed gratitude to first responders and pledged government support for the families of the deceased and the injured. 

Arriving at the site, Pezeshkian thanked first responders and said, "We have come to see first hand if there is anything or any issue that the government can follow up on. We will try to take care of the families who lost their loved ones, and we will definitely take care of the dear people who got injured," Al Jazeera reported.

Following the tragedy, Iran has declared a national day of mourning on Monday.

Shahid Rajaee is a large facility for container shipments, and it handles 70 million tons of cargo each year, comprising oil and general shipping.

Earlier, Iran's Minister of Interior Eskandar Momeni, had said that six people remained missing as firefighters continued to make efforts to control the blaze, despite facing challenges like high winds.

The cause of the explosion has not been revealed yet. A government spokeswoman, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said it would take some time to find the cause of the blast, "but so far what has been determined is that containers were stored in a corner of the port that likely contained chemicals which exploded."

She had further said, "But until the fire is extinguished, it's hard to ascertain the cause."

Iranian authorities have declared a state of emergency in Bandar Abbas to protect the population amid a significant rise in air pollution.