US launches strikes on Iran as ‘powerful response’

Three explosions were heard on Qeshm Island near Iran’s strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tasneem said a residential area on the island was affected.

There were also reports of explosions in Abadan and Bushehr, two cities in the south-western part of the country.

“US enemy forces attacked a point near Qeshm at 04:00 a.m. (0030 GMT),” Ahmed Nafisi, deputy governor of southern Hormozgan province, said, according to the Mehr news agency.

“Points around the city of Abadan were hit with missiles by a terrorist enemy of the United States,” Fars news agency quoted the deputy governor of Khuzestan as saying.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US forces launched strikes against Iran at 8 pm ET (0000 GMT).

“These strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s Iranian attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East,” the military wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, President Donald Trump warned that the United States would hit Iran hard in response to Iranian attacks on US forces in Jordan.

Iran is moving closer to politically sensitive changes in gasoline pricing as the government grapples with a growing gap between domestic fuel production and consumption. ongoing conflict with America.

On July 25, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that changes in fuel prices or rationing are “definite and inevitable”, although officials have not yet confirmed whether the response will come through new quotas, higher prices, or both.

Read more about how Iran, an oil superpower, is facing a gasoline shortage.

British maritime security firm Embrey released a preliminary assessment on Wednesday that a US-owned gas storage tanker was attacked by a drone in the Egyptian port of Damietta.

An earlier statement from Egypt’s oil ministry confirmed the fire at the port, but did not mention the drone strike. The ministry said the fire was quickly brought under control and there were no casualties.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

If confirmed, an attack by Iran or its allies would mark a significant escalation in the conflict.

US President Donald Trump said that he has been informed about the incident.

After the attack on American military personnel in Jordan, US President Donald Trump said that America will hit Iran hard.

“They’ve already apologized, but, you know, we’ve got to hit them a little bit,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Trump said, “Now it’s our turn, and we’ll see if we get there with an agreement at some point. But we’re going to hit them very hard.”

The warning came after a lull in the fighting ended, dashing hopes of a return to talks.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia and the United States announced strikes on Iran-backed militants in Iraq, drawing widespread condemnation from Baghdad. Saudi Arabia’s direct involvement risks escalating the already escalating conflict in the region.

Welcome to DW’s coverage of the situation in Iran and the broader Middle East.

As conflict escalates in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate against Iran for attacking US military personnel in Jordan.

Meanwhile, Ambre, a British maritime security firm, reported that a drone strike hit a US-owned natural gas storage ship at Egypt’s Damietta port.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis. For our coverage of the clash that took place on July 29, 2026, you can check out our blog here.