“Self-defense strikes.” The US military has just attacked Iranian bases and ships near the Strait of Hormuz
The US military said it had carried out strikes in southern Iran against targets, including boats trying to plant mines and missile launch bases, in what it described as defensive actions, Reuters, Sky News and CNN reported.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release that the strikes were designed “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
“U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces by showing restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” said Marine Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for Central Command.
Captain Tim Hawkins said the targets included “missile launch sites and Iranian vessels attempting to lay mines.”
“U.S. forces today conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Hawkins added in a statement to CNN when asked about the explosions earlier reported around the Strait of Hormuz.
The development comes after both Washington and Tehran indicated that peace talks were making progress, although no deal has yet been confirmed.
US President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that the “final details” of the deal were being discussed, while an Iranian spokesman said on Monday that the two sides had “reached a general framework” but had not yet finalized a deal.
US and Iranian forces have exchanged fire before during the truce. In early May, US forces targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for launching a series of “unprovoked” missile, drone and small craft attacks against US warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has previously authorized US forces to respond to Iranian provocations around this key waterway.
Explosions heard in the city of Bandar Abbas and in coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz
Three explosions were heard in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a brief statement issued Tuesday morning (local time), citing “sources,” but there was no immediate official confirmation of the cause of the explosions, CNN notes.
In a later statement, the IRGC stated that the sound of an explosion was heard near Bandar Abbas airport. Iran's air defense system in Bandar Abbas “has been activated to counter hostile targets,” the IRGC added.
Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) also reported that “the sound of several consecutive explosions was heard around midnight (…) in the city of Bandar Abbas, the cause of which has not yet been announced by official sources.”
🚨 Anti-aircraft activity and explosions are now being reported across multiple parts of Iran tonight, including Bandar Abbas, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Qom, and Ardabil, amid rapidly escalating military tensions.
At least 13 explosions have reportedly been heard in Bandar Abbas… https://t.co/hMNzu5rJUz pic.twitter.com/hfCykWbHfC
— The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷 (@TheIranWatcher) May 25, 2026
The semi-official Fars news agency, citing witnesses, said similar sounds were also reported in the Persian Gulf near the cities of Sirik and Jask, near the strategic waterway.
Earlier, Iranian armed forces announced that they had destroyed a hostile drone in the Persian Gulf area, according to state media reports.
The southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, home to a key Iranian naval and air base, is strategically located north of the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier in May, a US official told NBC News that US forces had carried out “defensive” strikes on the city of Bandar Abbas.
