Claims of Rocket Fuel, Cover-Up, and International Implications

A major explosion at Iran's largest port resulted in numerous casualties, with reports indicating over 100 fatalities and a thousand injuries. The incident is alleged to have been caused by the detonation of a shipment of rocket fuel intended for ballistic missiles.

The fuel is believed to have originated from China and was reportedly not declared to customs officials. There are claims of a significant cover-up by the Iranian government, aiming to minimize the reported death toll and conceal the source of the blast at Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas. The official account states a lower number of fatalities and an unknown cause for the explosion. However, sources within Iran suggest the actual death toll is much higher, possibly exceeding 100, due to the explosion of containers holding sodium perchlorate, a key component in solid rocket fuel for ballistic missiles.

Experts suggest the quantity of sodium perchlorate could have fueled a substantial number of Iran's medium-range and shorter-range missiles. The Iranian regime, under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is known to be pursuing its nuclear program and seeking to develop a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, despite ongoing negotiations with the United States regarding its nuclear ambitions.

Maryam Rajavi, leader of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, whose sources within the country are providing information about the cover-up, stated that explosions continued to occur at Bandar Abbas. She claimed the true death toll was significantly higher than officially reported and that the regime's forces were focused on controlling the situation and concealing the shipment of rocket fuel rather than assisting the injured.

The timing of the port explosion coincided with the beginning of tentative talks between the US and Iran regarding denuclearization, leading to speculation that the incident was not accidental. Iran has denied the presence of sodium perchlorate. A high-ranking official denied any military-related shipments at the site. However, reports from earlier in the year indicated a ship from China had docked in Iran carrying a large quantity of ammonium perchlorate, another substance used in solid rocket fuel.