Shafaq News- Tehran (Updated on May 8, at 00:42)

Several explosions were heard near the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island on Thursday, local media reported, amid continued tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Fars News Agency indicated that parts of the commercial section of Bahman Port on Qeshm Island were reportedly hit during exchanges of fire between Iranian forces and what it described as “the enemy [US],” linking the incidents to recent confrontations in the strategic waterway.

The agency claimed Iranian forces had responded over the past two nights to US attempts to move vessels through the Strait. It also alleged that US forces targeted two civilian fishing boats, killing five people.

Fox News, citing a ⁠senior US official, attributed the attack to the US military, adding that the strikes do not signal a resumption of the war or an end to the ceasefire announced on April 7.

Iranian authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding casualties or material damage. The US has yet to comment.

Earlier today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that navigation in the Strait would normalize if the war is permanently resolved, the maritime blockade is lifted, and sanctions imposed on Iran are removed.

Tehran has restricted vessels linked to the United States and Israel from navigating through the Strait for more than two months in response to US-Israeli strikes, disrupting a corridor that carries roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil trade. Washington later imposed similar restrictions on vessels departing Iranian ports.

US President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom” on May 3 as a naval mission aimed at escorting stranded vessels through the Strait, but suspended the operation less than 48 hours later, citing requests from Pakistan and other countries as well as reported progress in indirect talks with Iranian representatives.