The U.S. military, which declared retaliation against Iran, carried out airstrikes on key southern Iranian strongholds including Qeshm Island, a critical energy logistics hub at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 19th (local time), Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said explosions were heard around 4 a.m. near Qeshm Island in southern Iran and the major port city of Bandar Abbas. The exact location and cause of the blasts have not yet been confirmed.
Tasnim News Agency, which speaks for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said the U.S. strike targeted Qeshm Island around 3:40 a.m. At least six missiles were reportedly fired at the island.
Around 1:30 a.m. that day, the port city of Sirik on the Strait of Hormuz was attacked, and around 2:10 a.m., the inland city of Hajjiabad was also attacked. Both cities are small and about 100 kilometers from Bandar Abbas.
The airstrikes came shortly after the U.S. military formalized a retaliatory operation against Iran. Earlier, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said it launched new strikes on Iran starting at 6 p.m. on the 18th Eastern time (1:30 a.m. on the 19th in Iran, 7 a.m. in Korea) under the direction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. commander in chief. This marked the eighth straight night of U.S. nighttime strikes on Iran.
Central Command said the strikes were "to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," adding they were "also a swift measure to retaliate against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for attacking U.S. service members in Jordan the previous night."
Earlier, Central Command said two U.S. troops stationed in Jordan were killed and one was missing in an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack the day before.