Iran-US Tensions: Amid the ongoing Middle East crisis, the United States military carried out strikes on Iran's southern port facilities at Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas on Thursday evening, a senior US official confirmed to a Fox News correspondent.
However, the operation did not mark a resumption of hostilities or the collapse of the fragile ceasefire.
According to the report, the strikes targeted Iranian oil port facilities, while officials stressed that it was "NOT a restarting of the war or end to the ceasefire."
The strikes came after the US intercepted Iranian attacks targeting three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and launched retaliatory self-defense strikes.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the retaliatory action in a statement, saying, "US forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as US Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman."
Trump Reacts On Truth Social
US President Donald Trump took the confrontation directly on social media platform Truth Social.
"Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers," Trump wrote, adding that Iranian boats "went to the bottom of the Sea, quickly and efficiently."
Iranian Media Reports Explosions
Iranian media confirmed hearing explosions in the affected areas, though independent confirmation of the attacks is still awaited. The developments come amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where the US has been conducting operations against Iranian boats and ships.
Meanwhile, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported that residents in Bandar Abbas heard multiple sounds resembling explosions from areas surrounding the city. However, the exact source and location of the blasts remain unclear.
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Tasnim News Agency also confirmed the sounds, citing local sources who suggested they could be linked to operations by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.
Iran has linked the incidents to enemy drones. The situation remains fluid, with peace talks between both sides still ongoing. The developments could have major implications for global oil supplies and regional security, especially as the Strait of Hormuz through which nearly 20 percent of the world's seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the conflict and has remained largely blocked since the US-Israeli air conflict began on February 28.