Iran Warns Bandar Abbas Port Fire May Burn for Weeks as Search for Missing Continues

Bandar Abbas – Iranian officials say it could take up to three weeks to fully extinguish the massive fire that continues to smolder at the Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, days after a devastating explosion rocked the strategic site.

Hossein Zafari, spokesman for Iran’s crisis management organization, said on Tuesday that while the situation has “significantly improved” since Monday, the blaze is still far from being under control. “The shift from black to white smoke shows a reduction in active flames,” he said, “but some containers are burning slowly, and full extinguishment will require 15 to 20 more days.”

Zafari noted that several containers hold materials that burn over long periods, further complicating the operation. Local emergency teams — including the Red Crescent, forensic investigators, and police units — remain on-site, continuing the search for those unaccounted for.

As of now, 22 people are officially listed as missing, though Zafari warned that the number may change as investigations progress and more information surfaces. He confirmed that national emergency crews, including units deployed from Tehran, have begun pulling out, saying the fire is now “under local control.”

Despite these reassurances, residents and families of the missing remain anxious as uncertainty looms over the full impact and cause of the disaster — a tragedy that has shaken southern Iran.