Explosions at Bandar Abbas and Kish after a heavy wave of U.S. strikes

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported blasts in southern Iran in the early hours of Thursday local time, including at the port city of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz and around Gulf islands including Kish. The Revolutionary Guard said it would "punish the aggressor today," warned that states assisting the United States would receive a harsh response, and asserted it retains full control of the strait.

Why this matters. Bandar Abbas is the operational centre for Iran's control of the waterway, so striking it targets the capability rather than the rhetoric. The warning to third countries widens the risk to the Gulf states hosting American forces.