Amnesty accuses Iran of 'sinister crackdown' after deadly port blast

Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities Wednesday of carrying out a “sinister crackdown” on media outlets to conceal the truth about a deadly blast at the country’s main commercial port.

At least 70 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in Saturday’s explosion and ensuing fire in the southern port of Shahid Rajaee, state media reported.

Iranian officials have attributed the explosion to negligence without giving a fuller explanation.

The Tehran prosecutor’s office has filed charges against several media and social media users over certain “narratives” put forward about the explosion, reports have said.

“Iranian authorities have claimed that some media outlets and social media users have spread ‘false information and lies’ about the explosion and ‘disturbed the psychological security of society’. Authorities have filed criminal cases against multiple media outlets and individuals,” Amnesty said.

“The international community must condemn Iranian authorities’ sinister crackdown and press them to stop threatening, intimidating and prosecuting journalists for their work. Suppressing media reporting indicates that the state is attempting to conceal the truth from the public.”

Amnesty called for an independent probe to ascertain what happened and emphasised that any officials responsible should not enjoy impunity.

“Independent monitors must be given unhindered access to the site, survivors and other witnesses to investigate what caused the catastrophic explosion and who was responsible, including any involvement by state officials,” it said.

The New York Times has cited a person with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as saying what exploded was sodium perchlorate, which the newspaper said is a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.

The port’s customs office said the blast may have started in an area where hazardous chemicals were stored.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said there were “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence”.

Some social media users have compared the explosion to the devastating Beirut port blast of August 4, 2020 — which killed more than 220 people and was blamed on tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser.

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists charged this week that Iran was implementing a “suppression of press freedom (that) denies the public vital information in a time of crisis.”