Watch | Several dead, hundreds injured as massive explosion rocks Iran’s port city amid nuclear talks with US
A black smoke rises in the sky as vehicles drive on the road after a massive explosion rocked a port near the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran | AP
Amid tensions with the United States on a nuclear deal, a massive explosion hit Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas killing at least four and injuring over 500.
Videos that appeared on social media showed black billowing smoke after the blast. State media reported a "massive explosion" at Shahid Rajaei, the country's largest commercial port located in Hormozgan province.
According to officials, at least 516 people were injured in the incident. Those injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Initial media reports on the explosion indicated negligence in the storage of flammable materials at the site. However, authorities have not officially revealed the cause of the explosion.
Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, told Iranian state media that the blast came from containers at Shahid Rajaei port in the city, without elaborating.
An investigation into the incident was launched by the Interior Ministry.
Shahid Rajaei port in Hormozgan province is some 1,050 kilometres southeast of Iran's capital, Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of all oil traded passes.
Iran, US nuclear deal talks in Oman
The explosion happened as Iran and the United States resumed their nuclear talks on Saturday in Oman. This is the third round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived on Friday in Oman and met Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has mediated the two previous rounds of talks in Muscat and Rome. US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff also arrived on Friday.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to target Iran with airstrikes if a nuclear deal is not reached anytime soon. The talks seek to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting some of the economic sanctions imposed by the US on Iran.
Middle East