Iran Holds Day of Mourning for Victims

TEHRAN -- President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited those injured in a huge explosion that rocked one of the Islamic Republic’s main ports.
The visit came as the toll from Saturday’s blast at the Shahid Rajaei port outside of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province rose to 40 killed and about 1,200 others injured.
“We have to find out why it happened,” Pezeshkian said during a meeting with officials aired by national television.
Pezeshkian expressed his appreciation to first responders, adding “we have come to see first-hand if there is anything or any issue that the government can follow up on”.
“We will try to take care of the families who lost their loved ones, and we will definitely take care of the dear people who got injured,” he said.
Pezeshkian had previously ordered an investigation into the cause of the blast.
Authorities described the fire as being under control, saying emergency workers hoped that it would be fully extinguished later Sunday. Overnight, helicopters and heavy cargo aircraft flew repeated sorties over the burning port, dumping seawater on the site.
Pir Hussein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent society, offered the death toll and number of injured in a statement carried by an Iranian government website, saying that only 190 of the injured remained hospitalized on Sunday. 
Kolivand said some of the injured were airlifted for treatment in the capital Tehran. Authorities declared a day of national mourning on Monday, and three days of mourning in Hormozgan province from Sunday.
 All schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, the nearby capital of Hormozgan province, were ordered closed on Sunday to allow authorities to focus on the emergency effort.
Also at the scene on Sunday, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said “the situation has stabilized in the main areas” of the port, and workers had resumed loading containers and customs clearance.
Another official on site, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh, said only one zone of the port was impacted, and cargo “operations are still continuing as normal in the several other zones”.
In a first reaction on Sunday, Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Reza Talaeinik denied that missile fuel had been imported through the port.
“No sort of imported and exporting consignment for fuel or military application was (or) is in the site of the port,” he told national television by telephone. He called foreign reports on the missile fuel baseless. Talaeinik promised authorities would offer more information later. 
The port’s customs office said in a statement carried by national television that the explosion probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed several emergency aircraft to Bandar Abbas to provide assistance.
Putin has expressed his condolences over the loss of life and offered to provide a help to Iran dealing with the aftermath of the blast, the Kremlin said.
It said Putin had conveyed “words of sincere sympathy and support to the families of the victims, as well as his wishes for a recovery to all those injured.”
The emergency ministry said a Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft specializing in firefighting, as well as an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, would be sent to Iran to help out.
Russia’s embassy said Moscow was sending multiple “aircraft carrying specialists” to help fight the blaze.  
An outpouring of international solidarity and offers of assistance continued on Sunday. 
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, expressed the UN’s solidarity with the government and people of Iran.
In a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended its sincere condolences to the government and people of Iran, and the families of the victims of this tragic incident, and wished a speedy recovery for all the injured.
Jordon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the kingdom’s “sympathies and full solidarity with the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran and its condolences to the families of the victims.”
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla on Sunday sent a message of condolences to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government and people.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound sorrow over the tragic event, announcing his country’s full readiness to provide any necessary assistance to the Islamic Republic during the difficult time.
Japanese Ambassador to Tehran Tamaki Tsukada also conveyed “profound sadness and regret” over the losses of life, lauding the efforts of Iranian emergency crews.
In an official statement, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry extended similar condolences and reaffirmed the kingdom’s willingness to assist the “Iranian brothers” and wished a speedy recovery for those injured.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, emir of Qatar, sent a personal message of condolence to President Pezeshkian, expressing sympathy and wishing quick recovery for the injured.
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement, also offered condolences to the Iranian leadership, government, and people. 
Resistance movements Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad also expressed their solidarity with the leadership, government, and people of Iran.
Raşit Meredow, Turkmenistan’s foreign minister, conveyed his country’s solidarity to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, mourning the losses and expressing hope for swift recovery efforts.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed deep regret over the explosion, reaffirming Islamabad’s readiness to offer various instances of assistance that Iran might require in coping with the aftermath.