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Fires rage 2 days after Iran port blast killed 46

Firefighters in Iran battled raging fires on Monday at the country’s largest commercial port, two days after a massive explosion killed at least 46 people, state TV reported.The blast took place on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran’s south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. “The death toll in the Shahid Rajaee Port fire has reached 46,” the official IRNA news agency reported, quoting Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, the crisis management director for Hormozgan province. Officials had said more than 1,000 people were injured but Hassanzadeh said most have now been released after treatment.Only “138 wounded are still in hospital,” he said.Iran’s state TV showed images of firefighters dousing the flames, and said the damage will be assessed after the fire is fully brought under control. Heavy charcoal-black smoke continued to billow over low flames at part of the site, above which a firefighting helicopter flew, pictures from the Iranian Red Crescent showed.It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port’s customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a probe into the incident to determine if there was “any negligence or intent”. – Smoke, then a fireball -CCTV images on social media showed the incident began gradually, with a small fire and orange-brown smoke before a fireball erupted.The images appeared to show the small fire starting among a few containers stacked outside across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drove past the smoking area and men walked nearby.About one minute and eight seconds after the small fire and smoke were visible, a fireball erupted as vehicles passed nearby. Men ran for their lives.President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited hospitals treating the wounded in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed and urged residents to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks.The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that “there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area”.Russia dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes.Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province, where the port is located.The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress.While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel.According to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020

Fires rage 2 days after Iran port blast killed 40

Firefighters in Iran battled raging fires on Monday at the country’s largest commercial port, two days after a massive explosion killed at least 40 people, state TV reported.The blast took place on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran’s south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. It killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000 others, officials said, after triggering smaller explosions and fires in nearby containers.Iran’s state TV showed images of firefighters dousing the flames, and said the damage will be assessed after the fire is fully brought under control. Thick, swirling plumes of smoke rose over the stacked containers at the site, the TV images showed.It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port’s customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a probe into the incident to determine if there were “any negligence or intent”. – Smoke, then a fireball -CCTV images on social media showed the incident began gradually, with a small fire and orange-brown smoke before a fireball erupted.The images appeared to show the small fire starting among a few containers stacked outside across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drove past the smoking area and men walked nearby.About one minute and eight seconds after the small fire and smoke were visible, a fireball erupted as vehicles passed nearby. Men ran for their lives.President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited hospitals treating the wounded in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed and urged residents to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks.The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that “there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area”.Russia dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes.Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province, where the port is located.The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress.While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel.According to the Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020

Top UN court to open hearings on Israel’s aid obligation to Palestinians

The UN’s top court will on Monday open a week of hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians, more than 50 days into its total blockade on aid entering war-ravaged Gaza.United Nations representatives will start the five days of sittings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), followed by a Palestinian submission.Another 38 countries will then address the 15-judge panel, including the United States, China, France, Russia and Saudi Arabia.The League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the African Union will also make submissions.The UN’s General Assembly approved a resolution in December asking the ICJ for an advisory opinion on the matter “on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency”.The resolution, spearheaded by Norway, was adopted by a large majority.The UN has asked judges to clarify Israel’s legal obligations towards the UN and its agencies, international organisations or third-party states to “ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population”.Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.The UN estimates 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the two-month ceasefire ended in mid-March.Israel resumed air bombardment on March 18, followed by renewed ground attacks.This has triggered what the UN has described as “likely the worst” humanitarian crisis the occupied Palestinian territory has faced since the war started after the Hamas October 7, 2023, attack.- ‘Broad frustration’ -That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,243 people in Gaza since October 2023, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.At least 2,111 Palestinians have been killed since March 18.The UN considers the ministry’s figures reliable.The Israeli government says the assault aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives.Hostages’ relatives have said it could “sacrifice” their loved ones.Although the ICJ’s advisory opinions are not legally binding, the court believes they “carry great legal weight and moral authority”.In July, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion confirming that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories was “unlawful” and must end as soon as possible.”The parties to the conflict have shown little commitment to comply with international law,” said Haris Huremagic, a PhD candidate at the Geneva Graduate Institute.”The request for an advisory opinion reflects broad frustration with the lack of meaningful dialogue to address the dire situation in Gaza,” Huremagic wrote on the Voelkerrechtsblog on international law.Norway’s initiative was triggered by an Israeli law banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from operating on Israeli soil.Israel accused some UNRWA staff of participating in the Hamas attack.Independent investigations say it has not provided evidence for its headline allegation.