In a post on X late Wednesday local time, CENTCOM claimed that American forces began the attacks at 8:00 p.m. ET (00:00 GMT Thursday), describing them as a so-called “powerful response” to what it labeled “attempted Iranian attacks” on US forces illegally stationed in the region the previous day.
Explosions were subsequently reported in several locations across southern Iran following the launch of the US attacks, a report by Tehran-based Press TV reported citing local sources and media in southern Iran.
Three explosions were heard on Qeshm Island inside the city, Tasnim news agency reported. Explosions were also heard in Bushehr province, according to the IRIB state broadcaster.
A deputy security minister in Khuzestan province said US forces targeted “some locations in Abadan,” IRIB reported. The broadcaster also said two explosions were heard in the port city of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province, with similar sounds reported on the islands of Abu Musa, Kish, and Qeshm. A senior Hormozgan province official stated that there had been no attacks on the city of Sirik.
Locals reported that a missile struck a residential area, though information regarding casualties remains unavailable, according to Tasnim. The agency further stated that US forces hit southwestern Fars province as well as Kish Island in the Persian Gulf.
In Fars province, an area on the outskirts of the city of Kazerun was targeted, while two loud explosions were heard on Kish Island following a missile strike.
Two people were trapped under rubble following a US strike on a residential building on Qeshm, IRIB reported. Citing the deputy governor of Hormozgan province, the broadcaster said the building in the Chah-Tango neighborhood of Qeshm city was “hit by enemy projectiles,” and that “search and rescue operations are underway to save the trapped individuals with all available resources.”
Meanwhile, US forces hit several locations in Ahvaz in southwestern Khuzestan province, with power outages reported in some parts of the city, Tasnim news agency said. At least seven locations in the city were hit, IRIB added. Explosions were also heard in the cities of Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and Abadan in Khuzestan province.
On Thursday morning, CENTCOM claimed it had completed a “heavy wave of strikes against Iran” following the previous day’s attempted missile attacks on American forces, adding that its assets struck dozens of IRGC targets.
The latest US assault is a clear continuation of Washington’s pattern of unprovoked aggression, violation of international law, and breach of previous understandings. It follows the IRGC’s lawful defensive missile operation targeting US military positions in Jordan, an operation carried out in response to the ongoing American occupation of regional soil and repeated assaults on Iranian interests.
US and Jordanian officials claimed all the ballistic missiles were intercepted, with no reported casualties among the occupying forces. This outcome further highlights the effectiveness of Iran’s calibrated approach even as it exercises its inherent right to self-defense against foreign bases that serve as launchpads for aggression against the Iranian nation and the Axis of Resistance.
The strikes come after a brief pause in US bombing, which American officials had claimed was intended to allow space for diplomacy. That pause was shattered by Washington’s own refusal to end its illegal military presence and its continued support for regional instability.
US President Donald Trump had earlier on Wednesday openly threatened Iran with further punishment, declaring it was “our turn” and vowing to hit the country “very hard” and deliver a “beating,” language that exposes the bullying and imperialist mindset of the American leadership.
Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that any aggression against the country’s soil will be met with decisive reciprocal action.
Tehran has consistently condemned previous US attacks on Iranian military and civilian infrastructure as gross war crimes and flagrant violations of the United Nations Charter as well as earlier memoranda of understanding. The presence of US forces across West Asia remains the root cause of tension; their removal would end the cycle of confrontation that Washington itself perpetuates.
