Sounds of Explosions Heard in Southern Iran

On Thursday, Iranian media reported the sounds of two explosions around Bandar Abbas and the Sirik region in southern Hormozgan Province. The initial reports did not mention the cause or source of the sounds.

Minutes later, Fars News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced that the Iranian Armed Forces had blocked a “violating oil tanker” from entering the Strait of Hormuz. The news agency did not provide any details regarding the identity, nationality, or destination of the vessel.

According to Iran’s official media, the explosions heard near Sirik were related to the operation to confront the oil tanker. Iranian military officials said IRGC forces fired warning shots to force the vessel to alter its course and turn back. The incident occurred hours after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz was ongoing and that the international waterway remained open for navigation.

Meanwhile, an American official told Reuters that U.S. forces had intercepted and destroyed two Iranian attack drones in the Persian Gulf. According to the official, preliminary assessments indicated that the drones were likely on a path to attack commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, though the exact timing of the operation was not disclosed.

The American official emphasized that despite recent tensions, vessels continue to move through the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions in the strategic waterway have escalated since the IRGC, in response to recent confrontations between Tehran and Washington, declared that the Strait of Hormuz is under the full control of Iranian forces and that vessel transit through it would face restrictions.