As the death toll rises to 70
AFP

Firefighters are still working to put out the fire at the port two days after the explosion

Iran's interior minister said that as the death toll rose to at least 70, negligence was a factor in the mass explosion and fire at the country's largest container port.

Eskandar Momeni said the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas on Saturday, which also injured more than 1,000 people, was caused by “defaults, including non-compliance with safety precautions and negligence.”

He added, “Some people are considered responsible.”

Customs authorities said the imported goods caught fire and exploded. The Ministry of Defense denied foreign reports that it was a transport of missile fuel chemicals.

Hormozgan Provincial Crisis Management Director Mehrdad Hassanzadeh also said on Monday that firefighting at the port is "almost in its final stage".

Meanwhile, Hormozgan Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani said the port's liquidation operation could last for several days and could take one to two weeks to return to normal.

He estimates that the explosion rate has seriously affected 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) (almost two-thirds of the site).

Moment Driver sees huge explosion rupture through Iranian port

The customs government said that neither registered nor formally announced the fire and explosion cargo before the incident.

Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, CEO of the company operating an affected area, accused "repeated and disastrous mistakes involving false statements about dangerous goods."

Iran's defense ministry denied reports that the explosion was due to improper transportation of sodium polychlorite, a solid fuel used in ballistic missiles.

Spokesman Brig Gen Reza Talai-Nik said on Sunday that there were fuel transport or goods for military purposes export or export near the incident, and accused foreign media of spreading "fake news."

Ambrey Intelligence, a private maritime risk consulting firm, told the Associated Press that the port received shipments of sodium perchlorate last month, and the explosion was reportedly "a result of improper handling."

The New York Times also listed an unnamed person with connections to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, who said the sodium perchlorate exploded.