A deadly explosion at an Iranian port that killed at least 28 people on Saturday was caused by chemicals used for ballistic missile fuel, which had in turn been imported from China, according to media reports Sunday.
As Breitbart News noted Saturday, “A huge explosion … destroyed large parts of the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee southwest of Bandar Abbas along the shores of the Persian Gulf. … The port is located in southwestern Iran and is one of Iran’s main oil facilities. … The explosion occurred as Iran began a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman.” The death toll, as of Sunday, is at least 28, with over 1,000 wounded.
The New York Times reported, in addition, that the explosion was caused by missile fuel components:
A person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that what exploded was sodium perchlorate, a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.
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The security firm Ambrey told The Associated Press that there were indications that the blast resulted from improper storage of sodium perchlorate at the port. The Financial Times reported in January that China had shipped the chemical to Iran, whose stocks of missile propellant were depleted last year when it and its proxy, Hezbollah, launched missiles at Israel.
The explosion recalls a massive blast at a port in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2020, where explosive chemicals had been stored, allegedly by Hezbollah, which allegedly intended to use the chemicals in anti-Israel weaponry.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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