Another survivor accused the regime of “concealing the statistics” by sending Revolutionary Guard forces and intelligence agents to the site of the explosion. 

The survivor also pointed out that “chemical and military materials” should not have been at the port to begin with and noted that the workers at the massive site were unaware of its presence. 

A satellite image shows rising smoke after the previous day’s explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 28, 2025.  (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

Iran’s interior minister said the fire likely started due to “negligence” because the cargo was improperly stored, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence” led to the blast.

The officials also said “some individuals deemed responsible” had been summoned, but the regime has yet to admit that any cargo units were holding missile propellant at the civilian shipping center, which is also Iran’s largest port. 

The Wall Street Journal in January reported that two solid fuel shipments had been sent from China to Iran, though it is unclear if this cargo had ever been moved off site or if additional sodium perchlorate had been sent to this port. 

In a meeting that appeared to take place Sunday between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and regional and port officials, the president appeared to suggest that cargo shipments should not be permitted to stay on site for months at a time and said distribution processes need to be accelerated. 

In the aftermath of the explosion, Iran reportedly cordoned off the site, evacuating surrounding areas, placing security agents at local hospitals and accusing the media of perpetuating false stories about the explosion.

In this photo provided by the Islamic Republic News Agency, firefighters work as black smoke rises in the sky after a massive explosion rocked a port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025.  (Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/IRNA via AP)

“The sole party responsible for this tragedy is none other than Khamenei’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), whose smuggling of various materials from abroad fuels the manufacture of missiles and other weaponry,” Ali Safavi of the NCRI told Fox News Digital. 

“In the face of this disaster, rather than rushing to aid the wounded or recover the bodies of the deceased, the clerical regime — gripped by fear of a public outcry — has instead issued stern warnings against the dissemination of news, images and videos of the explosion, threatening severe legal repercussions against those who dare to expose the truth.”