A fire sparked by explosions at the Shahid Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, was caused by mishandling of dangerous chemicals, Iranian reports said, quoting an "initial assessment."
According to Iran, the initial assessment indicates a failure to safely store dangerous chemicals.
Iran's ILNA reported that "very dangerous" materials labeled as "ordinary goods" were imported and stored at the port, but took down its report later, providing no explanation.
The report had not specified the cargo's origin or nature, Iran International noted.
As a result of the fire, at least 70 people were killed, and over 1,000 were injured.
Various reports indicated that the fuel which burned was ammonia nitrate; Iran
Mohammad Seraj, a Tehran MP, told Rokna, "Israel was involved in the explosion at the Rajaei Port. This was not coincidental. Explosives were planted in the containers, either in the source country or along the shipping route. We are not ruling out the involvement of internal sources in planting the explosives in the containers."
"Clear evidence indicates Israeli involvement," he added. "The explosions took place at four different locations."