Massive explosion at Iranian port kills five and injures more than 700

Black smoke rises in the sky after a massive explosion rocked a port near the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran (Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim News Agency via AP)

A massive explosion and fire rocked a port in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing five people and injuring more than 700 others.

The blast at the Shahid Rajaei port happened as Iran and the United States met on Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme.