Iran

US attacks on locations around Qeshm Island in southern Iran caused no damage to residential, commercial or infrastructure facilities, a senior official in Hormozgan Province says. Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor of Hormozgan for political, security and social affairs, made the remarks following the US military’s attack on several locations in the vicinity of Qeshm Island Sunday night. “The targeted sites were [located] outside residential and commercial areas and public service infrastructure, and no damage was caused to the island's vital infrastructure or essential services,” he said.

He added that the situation on Qeshm Island was under control, with all emergency, service and executive agencies remaining on full alert. The official provided no details about the targeted sites or potential casualties. Qeshm Island is located near the port city of Bandar Abbas, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a substantial portion of the world’s oil exports passes. Late last month, US military forces attacked two Iranian fishing boats in the waters of the Persian Gulf near Qeshm Island.

The attack on civilian fishing vessels is the latest in a string of US military attacks targeting Iranian maritime traffic and local fishermen in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Since the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran on February 28, Tehran has imposed strict regulations on the Strait, requiring all vessels to coordinate with Iranian naval authorities and obtain permission before transiting. Iranian armed forces have repeatedly warned Washington against provocative acts that threaten regional maritime security and endanger the livelihoods of coastal communities.