EXPLOSIONS have been heard in various parts of Iran, according to semi-official state media, while military officials in the United States have denied any involvement in new attacks.
Multiple blasts were heard late on Thursday in areas around Bushehr – home to one of Iran’s nuclear plants – and the nearby city of Choghadak, Mehr News Agency reported.
Three more explosions were heard in the southern city of Konarak, it added.
Shortly afterwards, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) told Al Jazeera that the US military had not carried out any strikes in Iran in the past few hours.
The US and Iran have been trading attacks since Tuesday, with Tehran additionally hitting military sites across the Gulf, including in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, further straining the fragile ceasefire deal agreed in mid-June.
Mehr did not provide further details on the cause of the blasts, damage or casualties. The agency also denied an earlier report of an explosion in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.
Bushehr’s deputy governor for political and security affairs, Ehsan Jahanian, told state media outlet IRNA that the blast in the city was caused by air defence systems.
Jahanian added that a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr was struck by what he described as a projectile.
Soon after the reports from Iran, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu said he had a phone call with US President Donald Trump “during which they agreed to continue coordination between the countries across various arenas,” according to a statement published by the prime minister’s office.
Trump updated Netanyahu on “American moves in the Gulf,” it added.
Earlier on Thursday, at an air force graduation ceremony at Hatzerim Air Base in southern Israel, Netanyahu said: “The [Iran] war has not ended. There are new challenges”.
“Maintaining air superiority is a fundamental pillar of Israel’s national security doctrine. It is key to preserving stability in the turbulent Middle East,” he was quoted as saying by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Israel’s Army Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, also said that the military campaign against Iran is “not over.”
“On the drawing board are new plans. Major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us. Be prepared,” he said in brief remarks.
The Israeli defence minister said Israel was prepared to attack Iran if needed.
“The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike Iran again, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary,” Israel Katz said at the air base ceremony.
The latest round of tit-for-tat strikes follows Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. Vessels, including from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were hit as they were passing through the narrow waterway, following a route closer to the Omani side of the strait.
Iran has been insisting that all vessels pass next to the Iranian shore. Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a joint statement condemning attacks, both on the vessels and on Gulf nations’ territory.
At the core of the dispute are two different understandings on how to move forward: Trump wants a quick resumption of traffic through the strait to alleviate energy prices ahead of key mid-term elections, while Iran refuses any move that could reduce its control over traffic there.
The ship attacks prompted a harsh reaction from Trump who called the Iranian leadership “scum”, adding that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was “over”. However, neither side has formally retreated from it.
Trump added that he might allow peace talks to continue for now, leaving the process uncertain. Washington also removed a waiver on Iranian oil exports – a lifeline to the Iranian economy.
While it is not the first time they have exchanged fire, there are growing fears that both countries could escalate attacks, drawing the region into a wider war.
It comes as technical talks with negotiators have been suspended to allow the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who was killed on the first day of the US-Israeli war on February 28. It is not clear if talks will resume on Monday, as was scheduled before the latest attacks.