Iran Bandar Abbas Port Explosion

[Big_Zukini]

April 26th 2025, a massive explosion occurred at the Shahid Rajaee Port near Bandar Abbas, by far Iran's largest sea port.
In 2020's Beirut explosion, said to be a large stockpile of Ammonium Nitrate, there was initially a gray smoke cloud and then an explosion containing a dark red smoke.
In yesterday's explosion in Iran, we see an orange cloud preceding an explosion containing a brighter red.

My main questions are:

1. What could this material be?
2. What are its typical uses?
3. Or in other words - is this something civilian or military in nature?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916098353814802709

Port Shahid Rajaee location:

 

[publiusr]

It is tempting to think this was a military action—but even with weapon shipments—you can have accidents:

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-great-halifax-explosion-john-u-bacon?variant=32117355806754

Most powerful accidental non-nuclear man-made explosions in history – The Unwanted Blog

An interesting side note—at both Halifax and Texas City (1947)—a ship named “High Flyer” was present.

 

[Scott Kenny]

While I'm sure it's not the ONLY thing that would produce a giant plume of red-orange smoke, what comes to mind is Red Fuming Nitric Acid.

Which does have industrial uses (including as fertilizer components), but is also a rocket oxidizer.

Referring back to Doctor Lowe's How Not To Do It

This picture is from 2015 and represents a spill of about 2 tons of the stuff. Accident happened in Ukraine, but I chose this one for the very clear color.

 

[bobbymike]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ql5FsnCOn6Q&t=39s&pp=2AEnkAIB

 

[Dilandu]

There are suspicion, that after last year Israel strike, Iran lost a significant portion of its rocket fuel mixing capacity - as was forced to compensate through import. The port facilities weren't prepared to such massive influx of dangerous products, and eventually accident happened.

 

[publiusr]

Any other footage of the explosion itself?

 

[Sineva]

There are suspicion, that after last year Israel strike, Iran lost a significant portion of its rocket fuel mixing capacity - as was forced to compensate through import. The port facilities weren't prepared to such massive influx of dangerous products, and eventually accident happened.

Yeah,sure they did.
Its also the wrong chemical,thats ammonium perchlorate,NOT ammonium nitrate.
Also importing solid fuel components would be completely pointless if the planetary mixers were destroyed,which was what was claimed.
This is just an attempt at reworking an old story from a few months back which had iran importing ammonium perchlorate from china.

 

[Sineva]

While I'm sure it's not the ONLY thing that would produce a giant plume of red-orange smoke, what comes to mind is Red Fuming Nitric Acid.

Which does have industrial uses (including as fertilizer components), but is also a rocket oxidizer.

Referring back to Doctor Lowe's How Not To Do It
View attachment 768124
This picture is from 2015 and represents a spill of about 2 tons of the stuff. Accident happened in Ukraine, but I chose this one for the very clear color.

Those fumes are primarily a combo of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen tetroxide.
Ammonium nitrate when it burns/explodes releases nitrogen dioxide which is why it also has a red/brown coloration.

 

[Scott Kenny]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ql5FsnCOn6Q&t=39s&pp=2AEnkAIB

"The fire has caused outrage in Iran over unsafe working conditions"

I just watched a bunch of people look at the fire and keep working. It was growing FAST, but you gotta run with a fire like that. Either run away from it before it kills you, or run towards it to put it out.