Explosions reported on Iran’s Kharg Island and in Jask

Explosions were heard Tuesday in two strategic areas of southern Iran, including Kharg Island and the port city of Jask, Iranian media reported. There was no immediate information about the cause, casualties or damage.

Local media reported blasts on Kharg Island, a major hub for Iran’s oil exports in the Persian Gulf. Separately, Fars News Agency reported that an explosion was heard in Jask, on the Gulf of Oman. The agency said the sound came in two stages at about 9:45 p.m., a short distance apart.

Iranian authorities had not immediately provided details about what caused the reported explosions or whether they caused casualties or material damage.

The reports came as Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, warned that Iran would respond to any attack on its oil tankers by targeting U.S. bases in the region. State television quoted him as saying, "The U.S. aggressor army has given Iranian oil tankers an evacuation warning to hit them, so I announce that any attack on Iranian oil tankers will result in the targeting of U.S. bases in the region by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

“

The U.S. aggressor army has given Iranian oil tankers an evacuation warning to hit them, so I announce that any attack on Iranian oil tankers will result in the targeting of U.S. bases in the region by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.