Iranian state television said loud explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Jask and Sirik and on Qeshm Island on Saturday evening. All four sit on the Strait of Hormuz, where US forces have struck Iran twice this week.

Official sources in Jask confirmed that a site there was struck, and footage showed a large fire and thick smoke over the coast. The US military has not said whether it carried out strikes, though several open-source monitors said US aircraft hit Iranian anti-ship missile launchers at Jask and on the eastern end of Qeshm.

Iran gave its own account. The Revolutionary Guard said it fired anti-ship cruise missiles from Bandar Khamir and Sirik, and Iranian media said the blasts on Qeshm and in Bandar Abbas came from its navy firing on ships that broke its rules for the strait. An Iranian source denied that anything hit Qeshm, and Iran's air defences were switched on over Bandar Abbas. Some channels claim Iran fired anti-ship missiles at US Navy ships, which has not been confirmed.