Two weeks after hellfire ripped through Iran’s Shahid Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas, the picture has grown uglier. The official death toll has risen to at least 70, and over 1,200 have been reported injured, many still hospitalized with burns, chemical exposure, or trauma injuries. The blast turned the port’s chemical storage yard into a smoldering crater of twisted steel and scorched shipping containers—a “Chernobyl-by-the-Sea,” as one Iranian journalist dared to call it before disappearing from the airwaves.

What caused this catastrophe? Iran’s interior minister, Eskandar Momeni, now concedes the obvious: “human error and negligence”. Multiple containers storing hazardous substances—likely ammonium perchlorate or sodium perchlorate—ignited in sequence, unleashing a firestorm that took over 48 hours to subdue. Reports out of Tehran are now confirming that some of the containers came from a recent Chinese shipment tied to Iran’s missile program.

Missile Fuel in a Civilian Port?

That’s the toxic heart of the matter. Satellite images and port manifests (courtesy of Western security analysts) point to a bulk delivery of sodium perchlorate from China earlier this year. The chemical is used in solid rocket propellant, and multiple intel reports suggest it was earmarked to replenish stocks after Iran’s recent missile launches in the Gulf. Tehran hasn’t officially connected the dots, but you don’t need a blackboard and a laser pointer to see where this is headed.

Iranian authorities still deny sabotage—but they’re also warning against “rumor-mongering.” That’s Islamic Republic speak for “we don’t want you asking any more questions.”

Air Poisoned, Port Paralyzed

The environmental fallout is no less disturbing. Sulfur dioxide, ammonia, and nitrogen dioxide levels in the air reached dangerous highs in the days following the blast. Multiple neighborhoods were evacuated. Bandar Abbas residents posted videos of dead birds littering roads and fish floating belly-up in coastal waters. The regime is tight-lipped on long-term contamination, but Iranian Red Crescent volunteers have quietly told foreign reporters they’re bracing for a “chemical health crisis.”

Meanwhile, Shahid Rajaei Port remains crippled. Maritime traffic is rerouted or suspended indefinitely. This isn’t some sleepy pier we’re talking about—it’s Iran’s largest commercial port, responsible for over 50% of its container traffic. The economic hit is already biting. Food prices in Tehran have ticked upward, and oil exports out of the south have slowed.