FIRST ON FOX: The Islamic Republic of Iran is suspected of «covering up» the true extent of the devastating explosion that rocked the Shahid Rajaee port in Iran’s southern coastal town of Bandar Abbas. 

On Tuesday, the death toll reported from Tehran after the explosion had risen to 70, with another 1,200 said to have been injured from the blast. But, according to information from eyewitnesses and the impacts of the blast radius, those figures are expected to be drastically underreported amid concerns of escalating internal unrest, sources have told Fox News Digital.

According to information provided by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the actual death toll from the catastrophic explosion is suspected to be closer to 250, with an estimated 1,500 injured. 

A MASSIVE EXPLOSION AT AN IRANIAN PORT LINKED TO MISSILE FUEL SHIPMENT KILLS 5, INJURES OVER 700

«The true death toll is several times higher than officially reported,» Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI, said in a statement. «The IRGC, intelligence forces and other organs of repression have mobilized — not to contain the fires or rescue the wounded — but to control the situation and cover up the shipment of solid fuel for ballistic missiles and the full scale of the disaster.»

The blast originated after a cargo container suspected to be holding sodium perchlorate, a propellant for missiles, including solid fuel in ballistic missiles, apparently caught fire. 

Footage of the blast showed the substantial damage caused to shipping containers, nearby offices and a massive crater left by the explosion. Anyone within 200 feet of the blast is believed to have been killed, according to sources.

One witness told the NCRI, «The security situation is very severe. We are all trapped in our homes and have been told not to go outside. The number of casualties is greater than you can imagine. My brother, who works at the dock, said many drivers were pulverized.»

A satellite image shows Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 9, 2025.  (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

One worker who survived the explosion told the NCRI, «The port and offices no longer exist.»

«The shockwave from the explosion was so strong that it caused colleagues’ eyes to pop out,» the survivor said. «Security forces have closed off the area, and no one is being allowed in.

«In the initial explosion, 15 firefighters were killed. All the staff in the administrative building were also killed.»

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Another survivor accused the regime of «concealing the statistics» by sending Revolutionary Guard forces and intelligence agents to the site of the explosion. 

The survivor also pointed out that «chemical and military materials» should not have been at the port to begin with and noted that the workers at the massive site were unaware of its presence. 

A satellite image shows rising smoke after the previous day’s explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 28, 2025.  (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

Iran’s interior minister said the fire likely started due to «negligence» because the cargo was improperly stored, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said «shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence» led to the blast.

The officials also said «some individuals deemed responsible» had been summoned, but the regime has yet to admit that any cargo units were holding missile propellant at the civilian shipping center, which is also Iran’s largest port. 

The Wall Street Journal in January reported that two solid fuel shipments had been sent from China to Iran, though it is unclear if this cargo had ever been moved off site or if additional sodium perchlorate had been sent to this port. 

In a meeting that appeared to take place Sunday between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and regional and port officials, the president appeared to suggest that cargo shipments should not be permitted to stay on site for months at a time and said distribution processes need to be accelerated. 

In the aftermath of the explosion, Iran reportedly cordoned off the site, evacuating surrounding areas, placing security agents at local hospitals and accusing the media of perpetuating false stories about the explosion.

In this photo provided by the Islamic Republic News Agency, firefighters work as black smoke rises in the sky after a massive explosion rocked a port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025.  (Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/IRNA via AP)

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«The sole party responsible for this tragedy is none other than Khamenei’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), whose smuggling of various materials from abroad fuels the manufacture of missiles and other weaponry,» Ali Safavi of the NCRI told Fox News Digital. 

«In the face of this disaster, rather than rushing to aid the wounded or recover the bodies of the deceased, the clerical regime — gripped by fear of a public outcry — has instead issued stern warnings against the dissemination of news, images and videos of the explosion, threatening severe legal repercussions against those who dare to expose the truth.»

Vista aérea de migrantes en la zona conocida como el Tapón del Darién en Panamá, en su camino hacia el norte a través de Centroamérica, el 1 de noviembre de 2024. El gobierno de Trump envió a la madre de una niña de 2 años a Venezuela y al padre a una prisión salvadoreña. Su hija permanece en algún lugar de Estados Unidos. (Federico Ríos/The New York Times)

Postura

Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal. Su abuela dijo que Antonella pasó de padre adoptivo a padre adoptivo, pasando por varios hogares en el transcurso de un año. (Raida Inciarte vía The New York Times)

Enemigo

Familiares de venezolanos deportados de Estados Unidos a El Salvador bajo acusaciones de pertenecer a la protesta de la pandilla Tren de Aragua en Caracas, Venezuela, el 25 de marzo de 2025. El gobierno de Trump envió a la madre de una niña de 2 años a Venezuela y al padre a una prisión salvadoreña. Su hija permanece en algún lugar de Estados Unidos. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to the political scene with a fiery speech on Wednesday night in which she slammed the Trump administration’s first 100 days.

Harris had a very negative, often angry-sounding message in her first speech since she left office, even saying, «we are seeing the wholesale abandonment» of American ideals in reference to President Donald Trump’s priorities.

«Now, I know tonight’s event happens to coincide with the 100 days after the inauguration, and I’ll leave to others to give a full accounting of what has happened so far,» she said. «But I will say this. Instead of the administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals.»

Harris accused Trump of advancing «an agenda [of] a narrow, self-serving vision of America,» threatening to bring a «constitutional crisis» to the nation.

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She accused Trump of bringing «chaos» to the U.S. through his tariff policy, accusing him of being responsible for the «greatest manmade economic crisis in modern presidential history.»

But beyond this, Harris claimed that the Trump administration is advancing an intentional vision to undermine American democracy.

«Some people are describing what has been happening in recent months as absolute chaos, and of course, I understand why, and it’s certainly true of those tariffs,» she said. «But friends, please let us not be duped into thinking everything is chaos.»

She continued: «What we are in fact witnessing is a high-velocity event. Where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making. An agenda to slash public education, an agenda to shrink government and then to privatize its services, all while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest among us.»

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President Donald Trump delivers remarks at his Michigan rally commemorating the first 100 days of his second term. (Getty Images)

«Right now, we are living in their vision for America,» Harris went on. «It’s an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists cashing in on their power, and leave everyone to fend for themselves, all while abandoning allies and retreating from the world.»

Harris further alluded to the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal alien and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying, «It is not okay to detain and to disappear American citizens or anyone without due process.»

She praised the actions of congressional Democrats resisting the Trump administration, naming several lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who she said «all in different ways, have been speaking with moral clarity about this moment.»

The former vice president said she was inspired by the Democrat’s electoral victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election as well as «the courage of judges to uphold the rule of law» and «universities that are defying unconstitutional demands that threaten the pursuit of truth and academic independence.»

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U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., participate in a stop on the «Fighting Oligarchy» tour at the Dignity Health Arena, Theater in Bakersfield, California, U.S. on April 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci)

Harris went on to say that «if Congress fails to do its part, or if the courts fail to do their part, or if both do their part, but the president defies them anyway. Well, friends, that is called a constitutional crisis.»

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Harris gave her speech at Emerge’s 20th anniversary gala in San Francisco. Emerge, a training organization that seeks to prepare Democratic women to run for office, charged $25 for viewers to gain access to the virtual livestream. Other package options included a $100 fee for young professionals and a $250 general admission ticket. 

The former vice president did not address rumors that she may be considering a run for governor of California. 

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.