Explosions rock southern Iran as US strikes target military sites

Iranian media reported at least seven explosions across southern Iran on Thursday evening as military tensions with the United States intensified, with local officials confirming that air defense batteries activated near strategic facilities along the Persian Gulf coast.

Air defenses respond in Bushehr

Ehsan Jahaniyan, deputy governor for political and security affairs in Bushehr Province, told the state news agency IRNA that the blast heard in the city center "was caused by the timely response of the air defense system," adding that a military installation on the outskirts was struck by a projectile fired by the "US-Zionist enemy." He did not provide further details on potential casualties or comprehensive damage assessments.

Separately, authorities confirmed explosions in the southern port city of Konarak, where Governor Mohammad Younis Haqqani told IRNA that two distinct blasts hit a naval military zone in successive waves. Haqqani said the strategic area was targeted by enemy fighter jets on Thursday evening and noted that an investigation into the full scope and details of the attack remains underway.

Regional escalation widens

The attacks came as Iran and the United States exchanged strikes over the past 48 hours following Iranian assaults on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran launched a series of retaliatory strikes Thursday targeting US military infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan, according to regional security officials monitoring the escalating conflict.