FIRST ON FOX: The Islamic Republic of Iran is suspected of “covering up” the true extent of the devastating explosion that rocked the Shahid Rajaee port in Iran’s southern coastal town of Bandar Abbas.
On Tuesday, the death toll reported from Tehran after the explosion had risen to 70, with another 1,200 said to have been injured from the blast. But, according to information from eyewitnesses and the impacts of the blast radius, those figures are expected to be drastically underreported amid concerns of escalating internal unrest, sources have told Fox News Digital.
According to information provided by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the actual death toll from the catastrophic explosion is suspected to be closer to 250, with an estimated 1,500 injured.
A MASSIVE EXPLOSION AT AN IRANIAN PORT LINKED TO MISSILE FUEL SHIPMENT KILLS 5, INJURES OVER 700
“The true death toll is several times higher than officially reported,” Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI, said in a statement. “The IRGC, intelligence forces and other organs of repression have mobilized — not to contain the fires or rescue the wounded — but to control the situation and cover up the shipment of solid fuel for ballistic missiles and the full scale of the disaster.”
The blast originated after a cargo container suspected to be holding sodium perchlorate, a propellant for missiles, including solid fuel in ballistic missiles, apparently caught fire.
Footage of the blast showed the substantial damage caused to shipping containers, nearby offices and a massive crater left by the explosion. Anyone within 200 feet of the blast is believed to have been killed, according to sources.
One witness told the NCRI, “The security situation is very severe. We are all trapped in our homes and have been told not to go outside. The number of casualties is greater than you can imagine. My brother, who works at the dock, said many drivers were pulverized.”
One worker who survived the explosion told the NCRI, “The port and offices no longer exist.”
“The shockwave from the explosion was so strong that it caused colleagues’ eyes to pop out,” the survivor said. “Security forces have closed off the area, and no one is being allowed in.
“In the initial explosion, 15 firefighters were killed. All the staff in the administrative building were also killed.”
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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.
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.
“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.”