Explosions reported across southern Iran as US strikes target IRGC sites near Strait of Hormuz

Multiple explosions rocked southern Iran on September 1, with six to eight distinct blasts reported across Konarak, Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm Island. The explosions coincided with US Central Command confirming it had initiated strikes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps targets beginning at noon ET. CENTCOM described the strikes as precise and defensive in nature, targeting IRGC sites around Bandar Abbas, the strategic port city that sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through that narrow waterway every day. What happened on the ground Reports from the affected areas described explosions near Masan village and from the direction of the Strait of Hormuz. The blasts spanned multiple locations across Iran’s southern coastline, hitting both mainland sites and the strategically positioned Qeshm Island. Iranian authorities had not confirmed the incidents or provided casualty figures in the immediate aftermath. No official damage assessments were released by Tehran in the hours following the blasts. CENTCOM framed the operation as a necessary response to IRGC actions that it said were threatening commercial shipping t...