In what appears to be a further escalation of US strikes, explosions were reported late on Tuesday, September 1, in Konarak and Chabahar in southeastern Iran, as well as Bandar Abbas in the south, according to IRGC-linked Telegram channels and local media reports. Iranian authorities had not officially confirmed the reports at the time of writing.
However, the US Central Command confirmed on X, “Today at 12 p.m. ET, US forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”
The local media reported that more than five explosions were heard around Masan village in Qeshm. Additionally, four explosions were heard from the direction of the Strait of Hormuz in Qeshm.
According to the Deputy of Political, Security, and Social Affairs of Hormozgan Province, so far, no impacts or incidents have been reported there.
AlArabiya quoted an American official as saying, “We carried out precise, defensive strikes on sites in Bandar Abbas in Iran.” Axios also quoted US officials as saying the US air force is striking targets around the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Jerusalem also issued a security alert urging American citizens in the Middle East to exercise greater vigilance due to the potential escalation of tensions, flight cancellations, and airspace closures. The embassy warned: The Islamic Republic and its supporting groups may target US interests abroad.
On Monday, two people were killed and several others injured in an overnight US strike on Iran’s Larak Island, Iranian state media reported, citing the governor of Qeshm.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had insisted that Tehran was “not looking for war” but would “never sit still in the face of any aggression”. Speaking before leaving for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, he said Iran would give a “decisive response to the aggressors” if attacked.
