Over 700 injured, six missing after port explosion, officials say

The third round of US-Iran talks in Muscat on Saturday was "positive and productive," Axios reported, citing a US official.

"This latest round of direct and indirect discussions lasted over four hours," the US official was quoted as saying.

"There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal," the official added.

The official was also quoted as saying that it was agreed that the next round of talks will be in Europe soon, without giving further details.

The explosion at Shahid Rajaei port on Saturday likely involved missile fuel rather than ordinary chemical materials, aerospace expert Adrian Fazaeli said in an interview with Iran International.

"This type of material does not explode under normal conditions with just heat or air," Fazaeli said. "They need an initial detonation to ignite and explode."

Fazaeli said the intensity of the explosion, the mushroom-shaped cloud, and the color of the smoke all pointed to the presence of aluminum compounds used in missile fuel. "The white smoke we saw is very similar to the burning of missile fuel, which contains aluminum and oxidizers," he said.

He added that the timing of the explosion coincided with the unloading of fuel reportedly purchased from China, and this made it unlikely that the incident was caused by industrial negligence.

"The chance that this was a safety issue is very, very low," Fazaeli said. "Especially since Iran’s domestic solid fuel mixers were destroyed recently, and Iran had to buy ready-made fuel likely from China."

Fazaili said the circumstances suggest the materials involved were military-grade, intended for Iran’s missile program.

The United Arab Emirates expressed its solidarity with Iran following the explosion at Shahid Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

"The United Arab Emirates has conveyed its steadfast solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran following the explosion in Bandar Abbas port, southern Iran, resulting in deaths and hundreds of injuries and significant damage," the statement said.

The ministry expressed its wishes of speedy recovery for all the injured in the incident.

The office of Iran’s prosecutor general on Saturday warned social media users and media outlets against publishing content that could “disrupt the psychological security of society” following the huge deadly explosion at Shahid Rajaei Port.

"The spread of false news and incorrect speculation, which disrupts rescue operations and causes public concern, must be avoided," the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News website quoted the prosecutor general’s office as saying in a statement.

It added that individuals who publish false content, spread lies, or commit insults would face legal action, and prosecutors across the country were instructed to act swiftly, effectively, and preventively against those misusing social media to spread misinformation about the incident.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday both Tehran and Washington showed their determination to make progress in the talks held in Muscat.

However, he said, "sometimes determination alone is not enough, and the disagreements may be so serious that reaching a result becomes impossible."

"Some of the disagreements are serious, and some have their own complexities, but we are hopeful that we can move forward quickly, and the progress so far has been good. I am satisfied with the process and pace of the negotiations," he added.

Araghchi said the two sides were engaged in a "much more serious" round of talks today.

"There are still disagreements, but it was evident that both sides are serious," he said. Araghchi said, "We are very cautiously optimistic."

The Iranian top diplomat ruled out talks on any non-nuclear issues. "We only discuss the nuclear issue and won't accept negotiations on any other topic."

Reuters had earlier quoted an Iranian official as saying that the Iran-US talks are not limited to Tehran’s disputed nuclear program but also include its missile program.

The source said the missile program has become the sticky point in Iran-US talks.