Iranian MP alleges Israel responsible for port blast: 'Planted explosives in container'

As Iran struggles to contain the fire at the Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, an MP of the Islamic Republic has stated that Israel was responsible for the explosion which killed over 40 people. Iran authorities are yet to cite the reason for the explosion.

Parliament Member Mohammad Siraj told local Iranian media that Israel was involved in the explosion and the blast was not accidental. "It was not accidental. Clear evidence points to Israeli involvement", Siraj said.

He added that the explosives were planted in the container, either in their country of origin or along the transportation route. "We do not rule out the involvement of internal factors in planting the explosives in the containers. The explosion occurred at four different locations," he alleged, without providing evidence. Though the Israeli government has not commented on the blast, an Israeli official was quoted by Hebrew media Saturday as saying Israel had no part in the blast.

This comes amid reports that it was sodium percolate, used as a missile fuel, that exploded at the port. As per Western media reports, the fuel was imported from China early in March and shipped via two vessels. Iranian government immediately refuted the rumours, stating that the exploded material had no connections with the defence department.   

A defence analyst too has rubbished reports that Sodium percolate was used, despite the type of fire and smoke confirming that the explosive material was a derivative of sodium.

Nadimi, a senior defence and security analyst at the Washington Institute, told Iran International that a container is by no means a suitable vessel for storing sodium perchlorate, as the heat inside a container cannot be controlled. He added that the containers didn't look like they were refrigerated, and the temperature rise could have been one of the factors triggering the reaction and fire.

Conflicting reports

Conflicting reports continue to emerge from Iran regarding the blast. While a senior port official blamed the explosion on "false declarations about the imported cargo," Iran's interior minister Eskandar Momeni says the huge fire started with a small flame.

"Extremely dangerous goods were declared as regular items and stored in the port," Saeid Jafari, CEO of Sina Port and Marine Services Company was quoted as saying. Jafari added that the goods that exploded were handled without the required documentation and hazardous material labels. He also said that the power, blast wave, and destruction radius indicated that the cargo involved was highly dangerous.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials said over 90 per cent of the blaze has been contained, and crews are working to clean up hotspots. Though Russian firefighting planes arrived at Bandar Abbas on Sunday night, their services wouldn't be required. However, visuals from the port showed the fire still burning.

Middle East