The US launched strikes on the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas last night. “US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” US Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins claimed in a statement, reported Al Mayadeen. The US military did not provide further operational details, but alleged the targets included missile launch sites and vessels attempting to “emplace mines.”
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that several loud explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas around midnight local time (2030 GMT Monday). Things apparently quieted down afterwards, but tensions remain high.
The IRGC issued a statement this morning reporting that air defense units had targeted three US aircraft that had violated Iranian airspace, an MQ-9 drone, and RQ-4 drone and an F-35 stealth fighter. The MQ-9 was shot down and the other two aircraft were driven away. The IRGC “warned the United States against compromising the current regional truce, stating that it considers the right to cross-border retaliation ‘legitimate and definitive’ in the face of any ceasefire violations by American forces,” it said.
