Description: Massive explosions in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas left 28 people dead and hundreds injured, as speculations arose that improperly contained missile fuel caused the chain reaction. The deadly accident was connected to two ships suspected of having illegally transported chemicals, such as ammonium perchlorate, in Feb, which are key to the development of ballistic missiles. The ships, Golbon and MV Jiran, were documented to have transported up to 1,000 tons of the substance from ports in Shanghai under operating orders from the Iranian Islamic Republic of Shipping Lines and the Sufficiency Jihad Organization. Both organizations had long lasting ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and facilitated the transportation of the chemical in order to restock Iran’s depleted chemical stocks due to repeated missile attacks on Israel and outsourcing missiles to the Houthis in Yemen. Iranian officials have denied the explosion to have been caused by chemicals used in missile production and dispatched regional emergency units as the fire spread in adjacent buildings and warehouses. The explosion occurred while foreign US and Iranian representatives met in Muscat, Oman in what was the third round of negotiations regarding Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
Impact: The massive explosion shadowed the US – Iran negotiations in Oman, as back and forth allegations immediately started to take shape. Iranian officials have insisted the explosion to have been caused by sabotage operations perpetrated by Israeli agents on its territory, while experts and media sources cited concerns that Iran was in possession of large amounts of ammonium perchlorate. In response to mounting threats from the US and Israel, Iran has substantially fortified strategic ties with China and Russia while being invested in negotiations with the US. The massive deadly explosion suspected to have been caused by improper storage of missile fuel would bolster the US position in upcoming rounds of negotiations as it adds to the probable incompetence by Iran to store, develop and manufacture critical ingredients related to missile development. The deadly accident has put a dent in the negotiations and considerably compromised Iran’s position in the negotiations, which the US would most probably aim to exploit in the fourth round of negotiations.