Explosions hit Iran’s Qeshm Island as US media report US strikes in Hormuz

Iranian media report several explosions in Qeshm Island and Bandar Lengeh as US media say the US military had carried out the strikes.

Explosions reported on Iran's Qeshm Island amid fears of renewed war

Several explosions have been heard on Iran’s Qeshm Island, as media outlets in the United States reported that the US military had carried out what officials called “defensive strikes” in the Strait of Hormuz.

The blasts came in rapid succession late on Monday, according to Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency. Witnesses told the agency they saw two planes flying in the sky over the island, which is located off Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz.

list 1 of 4 Iran security chief says US letter signals ‘positive’ shift

list 2 of 4 Iran FM says US outreach a ‘positive step’ as delegation in Qatar for talks

list 3 of 4 Iran lawmakers call for withdrawal from NPT: Will we have war or peace?

list 4 of 4 Iran warns of unfettered retaliation if attacked as mediators try for peace

The semi-official Fars news agency said explosions were also heard in the port city of Bandar Lengeh, coming from the direction of the sea.

The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that the US military had carried out the strikes.

Some officials told the Journal the strikes were defensive, aimed at restricting Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. One official said the US had deliberately kept the campaign quiet to avoid signalling a return to major combat operations.

The Associated Press news agency also cited a US official as saying that the US had conducted defensive strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. The official said “Iranians using surface to air missiles against U.S. assets” had been targeted.

Reporters with Fox News and Axios said the attacks were in response to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing at a US aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Citing a US official, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin said the incident did not mark “the start of expanded strikes by the US”.

There was no immediate comment from authorities in Iran or the US.

Earlier on Monday, the IRGC had claimed it had captured two US reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm using electronic warfare systems and destroyed an MQ-9 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz.

The alleged US attacks come on the eve of crucial midterm elections, with US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party expected fighting to keep control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

They also came amid intensifying diplomatic efforts to prevent renewed US attacks on Iran.

Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform on Monday, suggested a deal with Iran could happen soon.

“Oil Prices are dropping like a rock, down almost $10 a Barrel, a record, because people feel that there will not be a war with Iran,” he wrote. “Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!”

Earlier, when asked by reporters if he was considering striking Iran ⁠after Tuesday’s midterm elections, Trump replied “no”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei meanwhile said that “the ball is in the US court” and that Tehran’s demands for peace had been clearly communicated to Washington.

He said Iran’s proposed plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz had been condensed and could be implemented within two days if Washington met Tehran’s conditions. These included lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports and securing an end to hostilities, paving the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and renewed negotiations.

伊朗媒体报道称，格什姆岛和班达尔伦格发生多起爆炸，而美国媒体则称美军实施了袭击。

伊朗格什姆岛发生爆炸，引发人们对战争重燃的担忧。

据美国媒体报道，伊朗格什姆岛发生数次爆炸，与此同时，美军在霍尔木兹海峡进行了官员所称的“防御性打击”。

据伊朗官方通讯社伊通社报道，爆炸发生在周一晚些时候，而且接连不断。目击者告诉该通讯社，他们看到两架飞机飞越这座位于伊朗南部海岸、靠近霍尔木兹海峡的岛屿。

伊朗安全负责人称，美国来信预示着“积极”转变（共四条，此为第一条）：伊朗安全负责人表示，美国来信预示着“积极”转变

伊朗外长称美国主动接触是“积极的一步”，伊朗代表团已抵达卡塔尔进行会谈（共4条记录，此为第2条）。

伊朗议员呼吁退出《不扩散核武器条约》：我们将迎来战争还是和平？（共 4 人）

伊朗警告称，若遭到攻击将进行无情报复，调解人正努力促成和平（共4条，此为第4条）。

半官方的法尔斯通讯社报道称，港口城市班达尔伦格也听到了爆炸声，爆炸声来自海上方向。

《华尔街日报》援引美国官员的话报道称，美军实施了此次空袭。

一些官员告诉《华尔街日报》，这些袭击是防御性的，旨在限制伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡袭击商船的能力。一位官员表示，美国刻意保持低调，以避免发出重返大规模作战行动的信号。

美联社援引一位美国官员的话说，美国对霍尔木兹海峡的伊朗目标进行了防御性打击。这位官员表示，打击目标是“使用地对空导弹攻击美国目标的伊朗人”。

福克斯新闻和Axios的记者称，此次袭击是对伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）周一在霍尔木兹海峡向美国飞机开火的回应。福克斯新闻记者詹妮弗·格里芬援引一位美国官员的话说，该事件并不意味着“美国开始扩大打击范围”。

伊朗和美国当局均未立即对此发表评论。

周一早些时候，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队声称，他们使用电子战系统在格什姆岛以南捕获了两架美国侦察无人机，并在霍尔木兹海峡以东摧毁了一架MQ-9无人机。

据称，美国发动的袭击正值关键的中期选举前夕，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普领导的共和党预计将努力保住对众议院和参议院的控制权。

与此同时，各方也在加大外交努力，以防止美国再次对伊朗发动袭击。

特朗普周一在其Truth Social平台上发文称，与伊朗达成协议可能很快就会发生。

他写道：“油价暴跌，每桶下跌近10美元，创历史新低，因为人们认为不会与伊朗开战。伊朗希望尽快达成和解。这并非不可能！”

早些时候，当记者问及他是否考虑在周二的中期选举后打击伊朗时，特朗普回答说“不”。

与此同时，伊朗外交部发言人伊斯梅尔·巴盖伊表示，“现在球在美国这边”，德黑兰已向华盛顿明确传达了其和平要求。

他表示，伊朗提出的重开霍尔木兹海峡的计划已经精简，如果华盛顿满足德黑兰提出的条件，该计划可以在两天内实施。这些条件包括解除对伊朗港口的海上封锁，并确保停止敌对行动，从而为重开霍尔木兹海峡和重启谈判铺平道路。