Explosions were heard on Saturday near Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf, a key oil terminal, although their source was not immediately known, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
State-affiliated Nournews cited unconfirmed reports from local sources claiming that an Iranian tanker had been targeted near Kharg Island by a missile fired by US forces.
A Fars correspondent on Kharg Island reported hearing explosions from the Gulf, but said there were no visible signs of smoke.
Iranian authorities had not immediately issued any official statement regarding the reports.
Kharg Island, situated in the Gulf, serves as a major oil export terminal for Iran. The reports emerged amid heightened regional tensions, although the circumstances surrounding the explosions remained unclear.
The United States launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iranian targets on August 30, targeting Iranian positions on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Washington said the strikes were aimed at Iranian forces involved in laying mines and posing a threat to maritime traffic. In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles at US forces stationed at bases in Jordan.
The confrontation intensified further on September 1, when the US conducted another series of strikes along Iran’s southern coast. The US military said the attacks targeted Iranian air-defence systems, radar installations, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites.
“US forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members,” the US Central Command wrote on X, while briefing about the strike.
Iran retaliated by carrying out attacks against US and allied positions across the Gulf region, including targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq.
