The epicenter of an explosion at an Iranian port is tied to a charity overseen by its supreme leader

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The explosion that rocked an Iranian port, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 1,000 others, had its epicenter at a facility ultimately owned by a charitable foundation overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office.

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That foundation, known as Bonyad Mostazafan, faces American sanctions over it helping the 86-year-old Khamenei “to enrich his office, reward his political allies and persecute the regime’s enemies,” the U.S. Treasury has said. Its top personnel also have direct ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees Tehran’s ballistic missile arsenal and operations abroad targeting the Islamic Republic’s enemies.

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Those associations come as authorities still haven’t offered a cause for the blast Saturday at the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas. The port reportedly took in a chemical component needed for solid fuel for ballistic missiles — something denied by authorities though local reports now increasingly point toward a mysterious, highly explosive cargo being delivered there.

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Bonyads hold vast economic power in Iran

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A bonyad, the Farsi word for “foundation,” wields tremendous power in Iran. The bonyads take their root in foundations set up by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during his rule.

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After the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled the shah, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini set up the bonyads to manage those assets, as well as companies seized from supporters of the shah and religious minorities, like the Baha’i and Jews.

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Bonyad Mostazafan, or the “Foundation of the Oppressed,” is believed to be the largest in the country by assets, with a 2008 U.S. Congressional Research Service report suggesting it represented 10% of Iran’s entire gross domestic product at the time. The Treasury in 2020 put its worth into the billions of dollars. Its network includes interests in mining, railroads, energy, steel and shipping through its Sina Port and Marine Services Development Co.

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Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show the epicenter of Saturday’s explosion struck just next to Sina’s terminal at the port, shredding the facility and the containers stacked nearby.

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Late Sunday, Iran’s semiofficial ILNA news agency quoted Saeed Jafari, the CEO of Sina, as saying there had been false statements about the cargo that detonated, which he called “very dangerous.”

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“The incident happened following a false statement about the dangerous goods and delivering it without documents and tags,” Jafari said. He didn’t elaborate and access to the site has been restricted by authorities since the blast.

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Mostazafan has direct ties to the Guard, security forces

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Since its creation, Bonyard Mostazafan has been linked to the Guard. Its current president, Hossein Dehghan, reached the rank of general in the Guard and serves as a military adviser to Khamenei. Other leaders in the foundation’s history have had direct and indirect ties back to the Guard.