CAIRO, 8 Nov (Reuters) – Iranian media suggested that explosions that occurred in southern Iran on Saturday night were related to Iranian military activities, and not to U.S. attacks, while both sides reported that vessels had been struck in the Strait of Hormuz or nearby.
Iranian state television said authorities had not confirmed any missile attack on Iranian territory after explosions heard in several areas, including Qeshm Island in the strait.
Read also: Europeans will participate in negotiations on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, says French minister
The president Donald Trump had hinted that he would renew large-scale strikes against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections last week, with Tehran saying it would respond by attacking U.S. and Israeli targets, but there were no signs of a large-scale military operation by the United States.
Both sides, however, continued to carry out attacks against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, constraining energy exports and other vital commodities for the global economy.
Iranian state television said the night explosions could be related to Iranian military activities in the navigable waterway, where, according to Iran, two vessels had collided with mines and a third had caught fire.
Read also: Lula: ‘Imagining who orders young people to war, we wage war for education’
The United States said its Air Force had neutralized a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, in addition to the strait.
Tasnim News Agency reported that two missiles struck Qeshm Island, with no official information on possible damage. Neither Iran nor the United States commented on the news. Washington said, on November 2, that it had attacked the island as a limited defensive measure against Iranians who were using ground-to-air missiles against U.S. targets.
Read also: French dilemma: In the cradle of the revolution, how far does the right to protest go?
US and Iran say they have attacked ships
Since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran in February, Tehran has sought to gain the upper hand by hitting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to block Gulf energy exports, while American forces began to block traffic to and from Iranian ports in April.
U.S. armed forces said on Saturday night that its Air Force had fired on the stern of a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman, disabling it as it attempted to pass through the blockade.
Read also: Future of the Cybertruck uncertain after production cut announcement
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said two tankers caught fire after hitting mines while attempting to pass through an “unauthorized route” in the Strait of Hormuz. A third tanker also suffered an explosion and caught fire, later reported by semi-official Fars News Agency.
Reuters was unable to confirm any of the reported attacks.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Enas Alashray in Cairo)
