A massive explosion rocked the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaei in Bandar Abbas on Saturday killing 25 people and injuring around 800 others. The fire raged through the night and as of today Iran is still working to put it out. Despite Iranian denials, the port has been a recipient of Chinese chemicals used in Iranian missile manufacturing for it’s ballistic missiles. It should be noted that Iran had it’s stockpile of ballistic rocket fuel taken out by Israel months ago when Israel retaliated after Iran attacked it with hundreds of UAVs and missiles.
The explosion at Bandar Abbas is a significant blow to the Iranian economy as it handles 70 percent of Iran’s goods, making it the country’s largest commercial port. This was the site that Israel refrained from taking out the last it directly attacked Iran. Given the timing of the explosion as it coincided with the direct talks between the US and Iran across the Persian Gulf in Oman on the same day, there is an assumption that Israel had a role to play with igniting this explosion.
A senior Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze wrote : “It appears clear that Israel was behind the bombing of the Bandar Abbas port. Local authorities have asked journalists to refrain from publishing photos or reports related to the incident.”
While Israel certainly has the capability to carry out a sabotage attack on the port, the fact is Iran has had a penchant for storing military grade rocket fuel within civilian areas. The AP quoted Ambrey Private security firm that a Chinese shipment of rocket fuel was shipped there in March. In 2020 a similar event happened in Beirut’s port when a huge blast was set off due to Hezbollah storing similar chemicals there.
If the attack was sabotage by Israel or groups in Iran allied with Israel, then the message is clear: Israel can take out Iran’s capabilities with or without America’s help. Iran might be stringing along Trump’s team, but by blowing a shipment of ammonium perchlorate, Israel may have bought more time by setting back Iran’s ability to fuel ballistic missiles meant to be shot at Israel.
While there is no way to prove how the fire in Bandar Abbas started, what is clear, the region’s tensions continue to rise despite the actual talks between the US and Iran progressing.