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Abstract The Iranian offshore drilling rig blowout occurrence on well SPDAA, which happened during the last run of a lengthy batch drilling operation on one of the South Pars stages, is cognitively analyzed in this paper. After 64 previous successful runs, the blowout happened, exposing a serious situation awareness (SA) breakdown on the part of the rig personnel. This study systematically assesses the crew's cognitive performance using the Driller's Situation Awareness (DSA) model created by Roberts, Flin, and Cleland (2015). It looks at how the crew interprets cues, understands well situations, and fails to foresee risk escalation. Inadequate danger anticipation, erroneous mental models, expectancy bias, and a lack of proactive intervention are among the cognitive deficiencies shown by the investigation, which are similar to those seen in the Deepwater Horizon accident. Similar trends of impaired situation awareness during crucial activities are seen in both events. The wider application of the DSA model as a training and diagnostic tool in offshore drilling operations is highlighted by this study. Stronger communication systems, better situational monitoring techniques, and improved crew training protocols are among the main recommendations, especially during the last stages of drilling operations when operational complacency and cognitive weariness may increase risk exposure. Due to its non-catastrophic ending, the Iranian offshore disaster garnered less attention than the widely studied Deepwater Horizon tragedy. As a result, interested firms and contractors did not conduct a thorough root cause analysis. The author revisited this event nine years later as the host and producer of a podcast about operational issues in oil and gas wells, and developed this study in conjunction with an episode of the podcast that looked at the occurrence. By using systematic cognitive analysis, this study fills the investigative gap and shows how thorough event investigation can provide important safety insights even in the face of imminent repercussions. These results help to enhance human dependability and safety culture in high-risk drilling settings.