Choking smoke: Bandar Abbas shut down after Iran port blast

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday visited the scene of a massive port blast that killed 28 people and injured more than 1,000, as fires still blazed, a day after the explosion.

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The blast occurred on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran, near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world oil output passes.

Schools, offices closed

With choking smoke and air pollution throughout the area, all schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, the nearby capital of Hormozgan province, were ordered closed on Sunday to allow authorities to focus on the emergency effort, state TV said.

The health ministry urged residents to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks.