Explosions were heard near Iran's Kharg Island, a vital oil terminal in the Persian Gulf, on Saturday. The incident occurred amidst unconfirmed reports suggesting an Iranian tanker may have been targeted in the vicinity by U.S. forces.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported hearing sounds of explosions originating from the Gulf, though no smoke was observed and the source of the blasts remained unidentified.
State-affiliated Nournews cited unconfirmed reports from local sources indicating that an Iranian tanker had been struck near Kharg Island by a missile attributed to U.S. forces. Another news outlet, Asr Iran, stated that the tanker was hit by four projectiles launched by U.S. forces and was in the process of unloading its cargo.
At the time of reporting, neither Iranian nor U.S. authorities had issued official statements addressing the reports of explosions or a potential strike on a tanker.
This development follows a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump on August 31, which included an AI-generated video and claimed Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens." Iranian officials had previously pledged a robust response in the event of any attack on Kharg Island.
