Iran reports explosions near Qeshm Island, top commander warns of major attack

TEHRAN, Iran — Two explosions were heard near Qeshm Island in southern Iran on Thursday evening, the country's official Tasnim news agency reported. Iranian forces said military units had applied engagement rules against "enemy targets" at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz and that the results would be shared with the public later. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's Parliament and a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, wrote on X that a major attack was coming. He accused parties calling for negotiations of staging an empty "theater of diplomacy" that did not resolve the problem, and said sanctions threats, false promises and disinformation amounted to a failed pressure strategy. Ghalibaf urged the opposing side to accept the facts and honor its commitments. The reported blasts near Qeshm Island and claims of engagement in the Strait of Hormuz come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. Iran's rhetoric has hardened in recent days, coinciding with the reported presence of U.S. warplanes in the region. No further details on the cause of the explosions or the alleged engagement were immediately available.