FIRST ON FOX: A significant explosion in Bandar Abbas, a southern coastal city in Iran, has revealed “deep vulnerabilities” within the Islamic Republic’s crucial sectors, amidst rising concerns about internal unrest.
Iranian authorities are facing increasing accusations of negligence and attempts to conceal the true death toll, along with suspicions of using a civilian port for importing prohibited goods.
The extent of the damage, the economic repercussions, and the direct impact on Iranians already dissatisfied with the government remain largely unclear.
“Rajaee Port serves as Iran’s primary hub for maritime exports and imports, especially for oil-based products,” stated Saeed Ghasseminejad, a senior advisor on Iran and an expert on its economy with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to Digital.
Ghasseminejad explained that the southern port handles 52% of Iran’s total port traffic in terms of volume, 77% of its industrial metals, and 85% of all container shipments, although it is not Iran’s only major port.
“At this stage, a reliable damage assessment is unavailable,” Ghasseminejad added, noting that any estimations regarding the extent of the damage are currently speculative, based on images of the damaged containers and administrative buildings.
However, he cautioned that “if the damage is extensive and severe, it could place the regime under considerable economic and logistical strain.”
Just two days after the explosion, Tehran announced that port operations had resumed normally. Iran claims 70 people died in the explosion, but some sources estimate the death toll to be closer to 250.
aerial footage showed significant damage, including the destruction of nearby administrative buildings and a crater caused by the explosion.
Officials from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) also informed Digital that eyewitness accounts suggest it could take up to 20 days to extinguish the remaining fires, some of which are believed to be inside shipping containers.
“A clearer picture should emerge in the coming weeks,” Ghasseminejad stated. “It is unlikely that the port is operating at its normal capacity, given the damage to administrative buildings and infrastructure, and the fact that hundreds of port workers are dead, missing, or injured.”
“The regime is motivated to lie in order to project control, but many sources within the business community disagree.”
The Iranian regime was accused of concealing the true death toll this week by the NCRI, based on eyewitness reports from the port, in an effort to suppress internal dissent. The regime also limited access to information for both local residents and media outlets, and downplayed the severity of the incident.
“Regardless of the final assessment, the explosion highlights the significant vulnerabilities within Iran’s critical infrastructure and the regime’s incompetence,” Ghasseminejad stated, “vulnerabilities that are even more pronounced in sectors vital to the regime’s survival, such as crude oil export terminals and gas production facilities.”
“The regime is now both incompetent and weak, a dangerous combination.”