US forces launched “unprovoked strikes” on sites in southern Iran on Monday, targeting areas near the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas, Iranian media reported, citing US media outlets.
“US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM spokesman Timothy Hawkins told CNN in a statement when asked about explosions reported around the Strait of Hormuz, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to lay mines,” he added.
Meanwhile, Iranian news agencies, including IRNA and Mehr News Agency, reported on Monday night that multiple explosion-like sounds had been heard east of Bandar Abbas and in coastal areas overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. However, Mehr later said the situation in the port city remained fully under control, with no cause for concern and normal activities continuing uninterrupted.
Tasnim and Fars news agencies also reported explosions in the area, including near Sirik and Jask, but stressed that Iranian air defence systems and local authorities had responded swiftly and effectively.
According to Press TV, the latest “act of US adventurism” came despite Iran’s continued adherence to the fragile ceasefire and its stated commitment to de-escalation in the Persian Gulf.
Hawkins said the targets included “missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to lay mines”, while insisting that US forces were exercising “restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”.
“Such justifications are nothing more than a familiar pretext used by the US regime to justify its illegal military presence and provocative actions in Iran’s territorial waters and airspace,” Press TV said.
The broadcaster added that Iran had repeatedly warned that any foreign aggression in the region, particularly in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, endangered international navigation and energy security and would be met with a “firm and proportionate response” from Iran’s armed forces.
Press TV also cited local sources in southern Iran as saying that residents had heard the blasts, but that life in Bandar Abbas was continuing as normal, with port operations, civilian activity, and strategic infrastructure unaffected.
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