The Fars news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, reported overnight that during an exchange of fire between the Iranian armed forces and the "enemy," parts of the commercial area of a port on Qeshm Island, located at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, were hit.
According to an Israeli source, the Iranians fired missiles at a US warship after it prevented an Iranian tanker from passing through the strait, and the Americans responded with fire of their own. At this stage, damage is known to have been caused at least on the Iranian side.
A senior US official told Fox News that it was a US military strike on Iran's Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas moments ago, but added that it is not a restarting of the war or end to the ceasefire.
The Tasnim news agency, also linked to the Revolutionary Guards, reported that several of its sources said the incidents were connected to activity by the Revolutionary Guards' naval force, which has been warning ships against "unauthorized passage" through the Strait of Hormuz. Tasnim added, however, that the incident was still being examined.
Earlier, Iranian media reported that the sounds of explosions had been heard around Bandar Abbas, whose port is the main base of the Revolutionary Guards' naval force in the Strait of Hormuz, and on nearby Qeshm Island, without elaborating on their source.
State television reported sounds of explosions at the port on Qeshm Island, and the Mehr news agency said sounds were also heard in Sirik County, on the coast of the Gulf of Oman east of Bandar Abbas, apparently linked to confrontations in the maritime area.
Tasnim, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted an Iranian "senior military official" as saying: "After the forces of the invading US military attacked an Iranian oil tanker, enemy units in the Strait of Hormuz area were hit by Iranian missile fire, sustained damage and were forced to withdraw." The claim has not been confirmed by any other source.
At the same time, Tasnim denied that an explosion had occurred in Sirik County, saying the area was "fully secure." According to the agency, the sounds that were heard were connected to Revolutionary Guards navy warnings to ships that had tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without authorization.
