Reports indicate explosions in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, hours after President Trump said U.S. military operations against Iran would likely resume tonight. The reports suggest the anticipated U.S. strikes may now be underway, following Trump's threat of 'very hard' strikes earlier today.
The explosions in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, first reported in the early hours of Wednesday, have now been confirmed by Iranian state media and described by a local official as the result of enemy shelling. The reports are being explicitly linked to President Donald Trump's threat of 'very hard' strikes on Iran tonight, after he warned earlier in the day that U.S. military operations against the Islamic Republic would likely resume. The blasts appear to be the opening salvo of the anticipated U.S. strike campaign.
At 01:44 Jerusalem, the director of ports and maritime of Hormozgan province stated that enemy shells struck a fishing pier and set several civilian boats on fire. Shortly after, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported Iranian documentation showing a fire at the port. Iran's Mehr news agency then confirmed explosions in the Bandar Abbas area, near the Strait of Hormuz. The rapid sequence of reports moved from an unverified claim to official confirmation within the same hour.
As The Zioneer reported earlier, President Trump approved a strike plan against Iran while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, and later threatened 'very hard' strikes tonight. The Bandar Abbas blasts are the first concrete signs of what appears to be the execution of that plan.
The scale of the strikes, the specific targets, and any casualties remain unconfirmed. No official statement from the U.S. military or Iranian authorities has been issued regarding the nature of the attacks or their authorization.
5 developments
- StrongSecurity analyst: Bandar Abbas airport attacked and shut down, per Iranian sources
- DevelopingFighter jet activity reported over Bandar Abbas, southern Iran
- StrongOvernight: Power outages reported in Bandar Abbas, additional footage of US strikes on Iran
- ConfirmedAir defense systems activated in Tehran after Trump convenes situation assessment
Source and signal
- Internal intake