US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island cause no damage to vital infrastructure: Official

Overnight US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island caused no damage to residential or commercial areas or vital infrastructure, an Iranian provincial official said Monday. Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor of the southern Hormozgan province for political, security and social affairs, said the targeted sites were located away from residential and commercial areas, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. “The targeted sites were outside residential and commercial areas and public service infrastructure, and no damage was caused to the island’s vital infrastructure or essential services,” Nafisi said.

He added that the situation on Qeshm Island was under control, with emergency services, public utilities and administrative agencies remaining on high alert. Nafisi did not identify the targeted sites or provide details on possible casualties. Separately, Brig. Gen. Rasoul Sanaei-Rad, political deputy of the ideological-political office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said the US strikes on southern Iran followed losses inflicted on American forces.

Speaking to the Iranian military-affiliated Defapress news agency, Sanaei-Rad said Iranian forces had previously downed US aircraft, describing the losses as costly for Washington. He characterized the latest US strikes as part of "sporadic clashes", claiming they reflected Washington’s “desperation and fear” rather than military strength. His remarks followed reports of several explosions Sunday evening in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas and nearby Qeshm Island.

Fars initially reported, citing local sources, that the blasts may have been caused by warning shots fired at vessels suspected of violating navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz. Qeshm Island lies near Bandar Abbas at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a significant share of global oil exports passes. ​​​​​​​The incidents come amid persistent tensions between Washington and Tehran over security and freedom of navigation in the strait, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease the conflict.