Shafaq News- Tehran

US forces begun striking targets belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) inside Iran, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday.

The strikes followed recent IRGC attacks targeting maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said, adding that they also came after recent attempts by the IRGC targeting US military personnel in the region.

Iranian state television reported that five explosions were heard in Masan village on Qeshm Island, while four explosions were reported in the Strait of Hormuz area.

The Fars news agency also said explosions occurred in the cities of Konarak and Chabahar in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iranian forces have full control over the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing US claims of control over the strategic waterway. He likened US attempts to escort vessels through the strait to ‘smuggling operations’ and said Iranian forces were directly confronting them. At least 120 ships crossed the waterway daily before the conflict, compared with far fewer now, according to Ghalibaf. “The enemy’s recent strikes came because we imposed our power in the Strait of Hormuz, and we delivered a crushing response.”