Tehran: Several explosions were heard across southern Iran early on Friday, including in Bushehr, where Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant is located, as well as Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Choghadak, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Mehr reported that three explosions were heard in the southern port city of Konarak in Sistan and Baluchestan province. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The latest explosions came after another day of military escalation between the United States and Iran, with both sides exchanging strikes and threats that have fuelled concerns of a wider regional conflict.
Israel signals readiness for further action
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was prepared to resume military operations against Iran if necessary, warning that any renewed campaign would be carried out “with even greater force”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had been weakened by previous Israeli operations but stressed that the conflict was not yet over.
Reza Pahlavi urges world not to overlook Iran protests
Exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi on Thursday marked six months since the January 8–9 protests, urging the international community not to allow negotiations with Tehran to overshadow what he described as the killing of tens of thousands of demonstrators.
Pahlavi also said a free Iran would eliminate the nuclear threat and contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region.
Iran warns US against further military action
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned against any further US military “adventurism” during a phone call with Pakistan’s Army Chief, according to Iran’s foreign ministry. He condemned the latest American attacks as a violation of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and urged Washington to avoid further escalation.
US expands strikes across Iran
The latest strikes came a day after the United States launched attacks on Iranian military and strategic sites, saying the operation was in response to attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Early on Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had completed another round of strikes, targeting around 90 Iranian military sites, including air defence systems, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance assets, naval capabilities and logistics infrastructure.
US strikes reported near Bushehr nuclear plant
Iranian state media reported that fresh US strikes targeted several locations in Bushehr province, including the perimeter of Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant.
Ehsan Jahanian, deputy governor of Bushehr province, said the attacks also hit a military base in Choghadak and a fishing pier in the south of the province. He said there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Residents of nearby Choghadak, about 20 kilometres from the nuclear facility, reported hearing multiple explosions before local authorities confirmed the attacks.
The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, built with Russian assistance, is Iran’s only operational civilian nuclear facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has previously warned that military activity near the site poses a serious risk to nuclear safety.
Iran expands regional response
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan in response to the latest American strikes, warning that any further US military action would trigger a broader response.
The IRGC later claimed it fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base. Jordan, however, said its air defence systems intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran, with the state-run Petra news agency reporting no casualties or damage.
A US defence official said dozens of Iranian missiles and drones launched at American military positions caused no significant damage or injuries, adding that the projectiles were either intercepted or failed to reach their intended targets.
Strait of Hormuz tensions
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said US strikes on Iran and Washington’s involvement in directing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were hampering efforts to restore traffic through the strategic waterway.
The force said transit capacity had recovered to around 50 per cent of pre-conflict levels over the past two weeks, adding that only vessels authorised to use routes designated by Iran were currently permitted to pass through the strait.
The IRGC warned that any further US intervention in the waterway would draw what it described as a “crushing response”.
