While numerous eyewitness reports following the explosion in Bandar Abbas suggest a cover-up regarding violations and the storage of missile fuel shipments at the port, the Associated Press reported on May 1, 2025: “The explosion that rocked an Iranian port, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 1,000 others, had its epicenter at a facility ultimately owned by a charitable foundation overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office… The port reportedly took in a chemical component needed for solid fuel for ballistic missiles.”
In this regard, according to a report by the Bahar news Telegram channel on April 29, 2025, a veteran employee of the Bandar Abbas dock, in the presence of Sara Fallahi, a member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, revealed the organized movement of radioactive materials, explosives, and the shipment of weapons to Yemen under the guise of “food exports.” He stated: “These containers, labeled as food items, are moved without our knowledge and without any inspection.”
According to the regime’s media, Saeed Jafari, the CEO of Sina Maritime and Port Services Development Company, also admitted to the cover-up and the transfer of “dangerous goods” disguised as “ordinary goods.” The state-run ILNA news agency quoted him on April 27, 2025, as saying: “This incident occurred due to the misdeclaration of imported cargo. The highly dangerous cargoes that exploded in the port were imported and stored under the title of ordinary goods.”
Thus, as each day passes, it becomes clearer that the Rajaee Port was under the control of companies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the mafia network of foundations and institutions under Khamenei’s office used this port for military projects and regional adventurism. Port contracts were mainly awarded to favored IRGC companies that, lacking expertise and disregarding basic safety and infrastructural considerations, were solely focused on reaping huge profits.
According to experts, no effort had been made to modernize infrastructure or adhere to safety standards. Safety equipment, including fire suppression systems, had not been updated for years, and international standards were ignored at this port.
In the Bandar Abbas port explosion disaster, Khamenei and his IRGC, through their criminal actions, caused an explosion that, in addition to hundreds of deaths and injuries, destroyed and rendered unusable over 70 percent of the port’s infrastructure, including docks, cranes, and warehouses.
Reports indicate that the halt in port operations has disrupted the supply chain for essential goods, including fuel, food, and industrial parts. Just two days after the Bandar Abbas explosion, the prices of some imported goods increased by 30 percent. More than 500 trading companies dependent on the port have ceased operations, and 20,000 workers are at risk of unemployment.
The massive explosion in Bandar Abbas and the burnt Rajaee Port serve as an alarm bell, indicating that as long as the mafia-like dictatorship of Khamenei and the IRGC rules Iran, disasters of this kind will recur.