Reports: Explosions heard near Iran’s Kharg oil island

Explosions were heard on Saturday near Iran’s Kharg island, according to reports from the Iranian news agency Fars cited by Reuters. The cause of the blasts remains unknown.

A Fars correspondent said the sounds came from the Persian Gulf, but reported seeing no smoke. Iran’s Nournews separately cited unconfirmed reports from local sources claiming that an Iranian tanker had been hit by a U.S. missile near Kharg.

Kharg lies in the Persian Gulf, about 30 kilometers off Iran’s coast. The island is central to Iran’s oil production and exports, making the reports especially sensitive.

The reports came after U.S. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video showing a fictional bombardment of Kharg. In an accompanying text, Trump wrote that Kharg “will be blown to smithereens.” The United States also attacked two rocket-launching sites on Iran’s Larak island on Sunday evening, its first strikes against Iran since late July.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard later responded with attacks on U.S. targets, including in Jordan. In March, the U.S. military carried out a major attack on Kharg. Trump said all military targets on the island had been destroyed, while the island’s oil industry had been spared.

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will be blown to smithereens