Several die, over 700 injured in Iran port blast; UAE expresses solidarity

The United Arab Emirates has conveyed its steadfast solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran following the explosion in Bandar Abbas port, southern Iran, resulting in deaths and hundreds of injuries and significant damage.

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In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed the UAE's solidarity with Iran and its people, and expressed its wishes of a speedy recovery for all the injured.

A huge blast probably caused by the explosion of chemical materials killed at least eight people and injured more than 700 on Saturday at Iran's biggest port, Bandar Abbas, Iranian state media reported.

The explosion, which hit the Shahid Rajaee section of the port, occurred as Iran began a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman, but there was no indication of a link between the two events.

Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran's crisis management organisation, appeared to blame the explosion on poor storage of chemicals in containers at Shahid Rajaee.

"The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers," he told Iran's ILNA news agency.

"Previously, the Director General of Crisis Management had given warnings to this port during their visits and had pointed out the possibility of danger," Zafari said.

However, an Iranian government spokesperson said that although chemicals had likely caused the blast, it was not yet possible to determine the exact reason.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation of the incident and sent his minister of interior, who said efforts were still ongoing to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to other areas.