Iran on Tuesday confirmed that a US missile struck a small Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island, after multiple explosions were reported in the area and in the southern port city of Jask.
Iranian media
said there were no casualties in the tanker strike.
Tasnim news agency
reported that the tanker was hit by a US projectile around four miles from Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil export terminal in the Gulf.“A small Iranian tanker was targeted by a missile attack by the American terrorist army four miles from Kharg Island. The tanker was hit by a projectile from American forces in the area of the Kharg Island anchorage,” Tasnim reported.
Multiple blasts reported
Earlier, Iranian media reported several explosions in waters surrounding Kharg Island.
Mehr news agency said several blasts were heard in parts of the island, but did not immediately provide details on their cause or the extent of any damage.
Two explosions were also reported in Jask, a southern Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz.
State-linked Fars news agency said the blasts were heard at around 9:45 pm local time. It cited local sources as saying the explosions came from the direction of the sea near the Sang-e Siah area and occurred in two stages, a short time apart.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the blasts in Jask.
US official confirms strike
Meanwhile, an unnamed US official told Israel-based news outlet i24NEWS that the United States was currently launching strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
The reported strikes came shortly after Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi warned that Iran would target US bases in the region if Iranian oil tankers were attacked.
Iranian state TV quoted Abdollahi as saying the US military had issued an evacuation warning to Iranian oil tankers before striking them.
He warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers would lead to Iranian strikes on US bases in the region.
“The US aggressor army has given Iranian oil tankers an evacuation warning to hit them, so I announce that any attack on Iranian oil tankers will result in the targeting of US bases in the region by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Abdollahi said.
