section_path: History/Contemporary history
section_name: Contemporary history
paragraph_text: Contemporary history
  
  An earthquake in July 1902 damaged parts of the city, including the governor's house and the customs office, and nearby Qeshm Island.
  
  Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi paid particular attention to Bandar Abbas as a strategic port, and during his time the government invested huge amounts of capital in its infrastructure. Before initial plans to develop it as a major harbour, Bandar Abbas was a small fishing port with approximately 17,000 residents in 1955. By 2001, it had grown into a major city. It has a population of 450,000 (2011 estimate).
  
  Bandar Abbas serves as a major shipping point, mostly for imports, and has a long history of trade with India, particularly the port of Surat.
  
  On 27 April, 2025, a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas occurred. The death toll was reported to be at least 28, with more than 700 people injured.
  
  On 21 June, 2025 during the Iran-Israel War the Israeli air force conducted airstrikes on the port aiming at drone storage sites and a weapons facility.