WANA (Jun 03) – Local sources have reported hearing at least three explosions south of Qeshm Island, a strategic Iranian island located in the Strait of Hormuz, with witnesses saying the blasts appeared to originate from waters near the village of Masen.

 

According to field reports, the explosions were heard in southern Qeshm in recent hours. However, no official information has yet been released regarding the nature or cause of the incidents.

 

The reports emerged amid a series of developments across the Persian Gulf region. Several media outlets reported the activation of air raid sirens in Kuwait and multiple explosions at Ali Al Salem and Arifjan military bases. Local sources also claimed that warning sirens were activated at U.S. military facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

 

At the same time, some Iraqi media outlets reported that military vessels operating in waters near the UAE coast had come under missile and drone attacks. Sabereen News, a media channel closely monitoring regional security developments, claimed that powerful explosions had occurred at locations hosting U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

 

Additional reports suggested that airports and air traffic operations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE had been suspended due to ongoing security concerns, although these claims had not been officially confirmed by the authorities in those countries at the time of publication.

 

Earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had targeted the engine room of an empty Botswana-flagged tanker that was reportedly en route to Iran.

 

In a subsequent statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had carried out missile and drone operations against U.S. military targets. The statement claimed that an Iranian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz had been struck in a U.S. air attack, causing damage to its engine compartment.

 

The IRGC further stated that, in response, it targeted a vessel identified as “Panaya” with naval missiles. The statement also claimed that following a separate U.S. strike on an IRGC communications tower in southern Qeshm Island, Iranian forces launched missile and drone attacks against a U.S. air and helicopter base in a regional country, as well as the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

 

The statement concluded by warning that any action threatening security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz would carry what it described as a heavy cost for the United States.