CODIR: Thousands of port workers were victims of a catastrophe waiting to happen…

Last week, CODIR published a detailed account of the catastrophe that hit Rajaee Quay, the Iran’s principal national seaport for international trade in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, in the wake of the explosion that occurred there on Saturday 26 April 2025. 

Authorities in Iran have not come clean about the cause of the explosion and are attempting to hide the true number of casualties.  Rajaee Quay employed more than 7,000 people, many of them low-waged and poorly managed workers who were living in and around the quayside.  It has been revealed that many of them were Baluchi seasonal migrant workers who had neither national identity cards nor contracts of employment and were working as casual labourers.  There are reports of families that have arrived from Baluchistan province desperately looking for missing family members, often their breadwinners, who were known to have been working at Rajaee Quay as temporary workers without any insurance.  

The final official death toll stands at 57 people and nearly 1500 severely maimed and injured.  The figure of fatalities was revised down from earlier reports of 70, with the explanation that initial counts may have included dismembered body parts counted as separate individuals.  However, observers who have spoken to CODIR have stated that the real number of casualties is believed to be more than 100, as the bodies of many of the lowest paid employees caught up in the main blast site were completely charred and rendered unidentifiable owing to the lack of any kind of medical records to link with the remains. 

CODIR contends that the lack of trade union rights including any overview of safety protocols and working conditions in Iran has directly contributed to this devastating tragedy, as evidenced by numerous other such workplace disasters in the country.  The Iranian government continues to refuse to recognise independent and bona fide trade unions, and trade unionist activists face dismissal and persecution by the authorities.

Iranian authorities have stated that the explosion was caused by “hazardous goods and chemical materials” stored at the port and have pointed to negligence and non-compliance with safety measures as contributing factors.  However, the most likely cause of the explosion was in fact the accidental detonation of improperly stored hazardous chemical materials, potentially including components of rocket fuel, due to gross negligence as regards health and safety on the part of the port authority.  The investigation is ongoing to determine the precise details and assign responsibility.

Ahmad Moradi, the Majlis (Iranian parliament) representative of Bandar Abbas, has stated, “The incident at Rajaee Port was a truly tragic and sorrowful event,” stated Ahmad Moradi, the Majlis (Iranian parliament) representative for Bandar Abbas, in comments carried by the ILNA news agency.

“From the time of the fire, I was at the scene and stayed there for a full week.  The fire is still not completely extinguished, and the danger [posed by the blast and fire] has only been reduced,” he continued.

“A number of bodies still remain and have not been identified. Some of the bodies are completely charred, and no traces of them remain [beyond identification].”

The parliamentarian added that a fact-finding committee has been formed there to investigate the matter and carry out any necessary follow-ups: “Specialist committees of the Majlis, including the Security Committee and the Construction Committee, as well as ourselves as the [parliamentary] representatives of the area, are now investigating the matter.”

“Our demand is that those responsible at any level be dealt with. We shouldn’t just look for a low-level scapegoat; those responsible at every level must be held accountable,” emphasised Mr. Moradi.

“It is customary in the world that when an incident of this magnitude occurs, at least one or two high-ranking officials should resign.  In my speech, I said that the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, who is primarily responsible for this matter, should have resigned.”

Regarding the fate of those workers caught up in the explosion without formal identification, whose statuses remain unclear, Mr. Moradi stated: “News has indeed reached me saying that a number of workers are from Sistan and Baluchestan province [south-eastern Iran, the poorest of the country’s provinces], some of whom unfortunately do not have identification documents and come from remote villages, and I am sure that their families are still unaware of this incident and their [loved ones’] fate.”

Moradi recalled: “These workers were usually engaged for two to three months and would send money to their families’ accounts.  Thus now, these poor people have to wait two or three months to see that no money has arrived, which is when they will realise what has happened.”

Regarding the actions of the Ministry of Labor in the Shahid Rajaee Port incident, the Bandar Abbas representative stated: “The Minister of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare has said that he is following up on issues related to insurance and damages.”

We have also examined the contents inside the containers, and the latest information indicates that the contents were chemical fertilisers, but we need to further investigate and will report later on.”

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