A 'powerful explosion' in Iran on Saturday injured at least 516 people in a major port in the south of the country, according to a new provisional toll communicated by Iranian state media, without providing details on the origin of the incident so far.

'A powerful explosion occurred on a dock at the Shahid Rajaee port,' said a local official from the port administration, Esmaeel Malekizadeh, on television. This port, crucial for trade, is located more than a thousand kilometers south of Tehran near the major city of Bandar Abbas, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. At least '516 people were injured and hundreds have been transferred to medical centers,' reported the official Tasnim agency.

Shahid Rajaee is Iran's largest commercial port, according to the official Irna news agency. More than 70% of Iran's goods pass through this port, which borders the Strait of Hormuz through which one-fifth of the world's oil production transits.

'The incident is due to the explosion of several containers stored in the area of the Shahid Rajaee port dock,' a local rescue official, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, told state television.

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has ordered an investigation to determine the exact causes of the incident, which are still unknown, and the extent of the damage, according to the Isna agency.

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that anonymous Israeli military officials denied any involvement of Israeli services in this incident: 'The army has nothing to do with the explosion in Iran,' one of them said.

'Shock wave'

State television broadcast images showing a large plume of black smoke rising into the sky from the port. Another video from a surveillance camera relayed by the Mehr agency shows an explosion in a hangar causing a thick cloud of smoke and dust.

The detonation was heard up to fifty kilometers away, according to the Fars news agency. 'The shock wave was so strong that most of the port's buildings were severely damaged,' reported the Tasnim news agency. The number of employees present at the time of the explosion is not currently known. Saturday is the first working day of the week in Iran.

The national oil distribution company stated that oil facilities were not damaged and 'are currently operating normally.'

Explosions of this magnitude are rare in Iran, but the country has experienced deadly incidents in recent months. Last September, an explosion in a coal mine killed over 50 people.

Iran-U.S. talks continue in Oman

This incident occurs as Iran and the United States began a third round of crucial nuclear negotiations on Saturday in Oman, following previous discussions described as constructive by both countries since the beginning of the month.

These indirect talks between the two parties, under Omani mediation, began shortly before 8:30 a.m. (GMT), according to several Iranian media outlets, including state television. They are continuing 'in a serious atmosphere,' according to a spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy quoted by state media.

The parties are exchanging their positions on 'the effective easing of sanctions' and on establishing a climate of trust regarding the 'peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program,' he clarified. He added, 'The discussions are about Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.'

This third round of unprecedented negotiations follows indirect negotiations that were already held on April 12 in Muscat and then on April 19 in Rome.