New Delhi: Tensions have erupted in the Gulf region once again after Iran claimed that its forces fired missiles at American naval units in the Strait of Hormuz following a US attack on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The developments came along with reports of US military strikes near Iran’s Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas, two major ports for the country’s maritime network.
According to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), an Iranian military official said American forces attacked an Iranian tanker before Iranian missiles targeted “enemy units” in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Following the attack by the US military on an Iranian tanker, the attacking enemy units in the Strait of Hormuz came under Iranian missile fire and were forced to flee after suffering damage,” the official said, according to IRIB.
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The Iranian statement came a day after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American naval forces had taken action against an Iranian-flagged oil tanker identified as M/T Hasna in the Gulf of Oman.
According to the CENTCOM, the tanker ignored repeated warnings while travelling through international waters toward an Iranian port. The US military said the operation was part of an ongoing naval blockade targeting vessels connected to Iran.
“US forces operating in the Gulf of Oman enforced blockade measures by disabling an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port at 9 am ET, May 6,” it said in a statement.
The US military said warnings were repeatedly issued to the tanker crew. When there was no response, action was taken to stop the vessel.
“After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, US forces disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon gun of a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet,” the statement added.
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The fighter jet involved in the operation had been launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The CENTCOM later confirmed that the tanker was no longer heading toward Iran.
The US military also said that its blockade targeting vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports “remains in full effect” and added that American forces would continue acting “deliberately and professionally to ensure compliance”.
Explosions near Qeshm and Bandar Abbas
At the same time, multiple explosions were reported near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island in southern Iran on Thursday, according to the Iranian media.
Press TV reported that an explosion took place at Bahman Pier in Qeshm during what it described as an exchange of fire between Iranian armed forces and “enemy forces”. Local sources quoted by the TV news channel said several blasts were also heard around Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas.
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The IRIB carried a similar report, saying the explosion at Bahman Pier happened during clashes involving Iranian forces and unidentified hostile elements.
The area is viewed as one of Iran’s most important maritime corridors because of its role in shipping routes passing through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large portion of the world’s oil supplies passes.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that commercial sections of Bahman Pier were hit during the exchange of fire. It also said residents in Bandar Abbas heard multiple sounds resembling explosions near the city.
Fox News reports US strikes on Iranian ports
As questions continued over the explosions, Jennifer Griffin, chief national security correspondent for Fox News, cited a senior US official as saying that the American military had carried out strikes on Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas.
In a series of posts on X, she wrote that the strikes had taken place “moments ago” but quoted the official as saying that the action should not be seen as the beginning of a wider war in West Asia.
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“US military just carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas: Senior US official tells me, but this is not a restarting of the war,” she posted.
In another update, Griffin wrote, “A senior US official tells me that it was a US military strike on Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas moments ago, but added this is not a restarting of the war or end to the ceasefire.”
Claims and counterclaims over blasts
The explosions have also triggered competing claims across regional media.
According to Fars News Agency, some international reports raised the possibility of foreign involvement, though no evidence was publicly presented. Other reports by Israeli media denied any role in the incident.
An Israeli source quoted by i24NEWS rejected any connection to the blasts.
At the same time, Fars News Agency cited other sources, including an Israeli source, claiming that UAE fighter jets may have been involved in bombing the area.
The developments come only days after Iran rejected accusations from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Tehran had launched missile and drone attacks on civilian sites following recent strikes near Fujairah, an important energy hub on the UAE’s eastern coast.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had condemned what it called “renewed unprovoked Iranian aggression” involving drones and missiles.