Explosions Rock Iran's Qeshm Island Amid Reports of US Defensive Strikes in Strait of Hormuz

Multiple explosions were reported on Iran’s Qeshm Island late on Monday, coinciding with U.S. media outlets reporting that the U.S. military had conducted what officials described as “defensive strikes” in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency, the blasts occurred in rapid succession. Witnesses informed the agency that they observed two aircraft flying over the island, which is situated off Iran’s southern coast in proximity to the Strait of Hormuz. The semi-official Fars news agency indicated that explosions were also audible in the port city of Bandar Lengeh, originating from the direction of the sea. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that the U.S. military was responsible for the strikes. Some officials informed the Journal that the strikes were defensive in nature, intended to impede Iran’s capacity to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. One official stated that the U.S. had intentionally kept the operation discreet to avoid signaling a return to major combat operations. The Associated Press news agency also cited a U.S. official who confirmed that the U.S. had carried out defensive strikes against Iranian targets within the Strait of Hormuz.