Day 255 | Explosions shake Iran's Qeshm, Bandar Abbas
Multiple explosions rocked Iran’s southern coast on Sunday evening, striking locations on Qeshm Island and near the port city of Bandar Abbas, alongside reported gunfire during a maritime encounter near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media reports.
An IRNA correspondent reported that four explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, indicating that several sites across the island may have been struck. Qeshm, Iran’s largest island, occupies a critical position in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas.
Simultaneously, residents in parts of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm reported hearing several loud blasts.
While local sources attributed some of the sounds to warning shots fired at vessels violating maritime regulations in the Strait of Hormuz, local and provincial authorities have not issued official confirmations regarding the exact nature of the blasts, damage, or casualties.
The detonations follow earlier reports of explosions along Iran's southern perimeter, including Jask, Sirik, Qeshm, and Bandar Abbas.
Iranian media have provided differing explanations for the noise, with state television suggesting certain blasts could be tied to military operations aimed at securing and defending the strategic corridor.
The developments also come just days after US forces conducted limited strikes against an Iranian air-defense system on Qeshm Island, an action later acknowledged by US President Donald Trump.
Compounding the tensions, three gunshots were heard in the Sirik area near the Strait of Hormuz during an encounter with what an informed source cited by Iranian media described as "illicit vessels."
Details regarding the identity, flag, or ownership of the vessels involved, as well as whether any damage or casualties occurred, were not immediately disclosed.
Trump touts 'Task Force Iron Gate' over Iran's land transit
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday night that a newly formed American military task force is operating at full strength against Iran, claiming that joint maritime and ground interdiction efforts have effectively halted movement into and out of the country.
"Task Force Iron Gate is in full force and effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Coupled with history’s greatest Naval Blockade, very little gets into, or out of, Iran! President DJT".
The statement marks Trump’s first public comments directly addressing Task Force Iron Gate, a specialized initiative established by US Central Command (CENTCOM) to broaden Washington's pressure campaign beyond the sea.
According to CENTCOM, the task force was ordered formed on Saturday by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
Comprising an internal staff of approximately 20 military and civilian personnel based at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the unit is tasked with coordinating with interagency US partners to track, interdict, and disrupt the flow of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technology, sanctioned materials, and illicit revenue across Iran’s terrestrial borders and through the Caspian Sea.
"The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea," Cooper said in the CENTCOM directive announcing the formation of the group.
"Strengthening CENTCOM's collaboration with US interagency partners will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military."
The expansion toward overland and northern maritime transit corridors follows months of intensive naval operations by the US military around the Strait of Hormuz and southern Iranian ports.
According to CENTCOM estimates, the maritime blockade has blocked Iran from exporting over $25 billion in crude oil in recent months, pushing Iranian crude production down to historical lows.
Task Force Iron Gate is designed to counter Tehran's alternative trade and supply routes with neighboring states and regional trading partners, seeking to close transit pathways that bypass traditional maritime chokepoints.
Drone attack shuts down Iraq's Khor Mor gas field: Reuters
Production at Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field in the northern Kurdistan region was brought to a complete halt on Sunday evening following a drone attack, Reuters reported citing regional security sources.
According to security officials, a drone struck the perimeter of the facility located in the Chamchamal district of Sulaymaniyah province, sending columns of smoke rising from the energy complex.
Operating companies and emergency teams immediately suspended all gas pumping and extraction operations as a precautionary measure to secure the facility and inspect the scale of physical damage. No casualties among site personnel were immediately reported.
The operational halt immediately impacted the regional power supply. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Electricity stated that approximately 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity went offline as a direct consequence of the feed gas disruption to regional power plants.
Khor Mor is among the largest gas fields in Iraq and serves as the primary fuel source powering electricity generation plants across the Kurdistan region.
