Explosions heard around Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island in Strait of Hormuz - report

Explosions rocked areas near Iran's Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday afternoon, Mehr news agency reported, citing local news sources and residents. The semi-official outlet suggested the blasts might be linked to "clashes" in the vital waterway.

Later, Mehr claimed the US had attacked the city of Abadan in southwestern Iran, reporting two fatalities and three injuries. These reports emerged hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed it had conducted a series of strikes against Iran earlier Monday.

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the US had attacked the city of Abadan in southwestern Iran, reportedly killing two and injuring three.

CENTCOM stated its strikes targeted dozens of Iranian sites, including military air defense systems, radar installations, small boats, and missile and drone capabilities. The command said the operation aimed to degrade Iran's capacity to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on US military infrastructure across the region, setting off sirens in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, according to reports.

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the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s “ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”