Smoke rises from a bombing at an undisclosed location in footage released by US Central Command on Tuesday (local time) showing airstrikes against Iran. [Reuters]
Smoke rises from a bombing at an undisclosed location in footage released by US Central Command on Tuesday (local time) showing airstrikes against Iran. [Reuters]

Explosions were reported Thursday (local time) in southwestern Iran and near the Strait of Hormuz as the United States pressed ahead with airstrikes against Iran for a 12th consecutive day.

The New York Times and Iranian state media reported that blasts were heard in the early hours of Thursday in Ahvaz, the capital of the southwestern province of Khuzestan. A US missile struck the outskirts of Ramshir, about 80 kilometers south of Ahvaz. The deputy governor for security affairs in Khuzestan Province said US forces had targeted an asphalt storage facility in the area.

Explosions were also reported in Sirik in Hormozgan Province, near the Strait of Hormuz, and near Bushehr in the south. Sirik is home to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps coastal missile base and communications towers, while Bushehr hosts a nuclear power plant. The US has continued to strike both areas since truce negotiations collapsed.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday (local time) that "from this point forward, every time the Islamic Republic of Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz with a missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon, one bridge or power plant will be bombed and destroyed." He added that the bridges and power plants targeted "include those in, or near, the capital city of Tehran."

In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the country's negotiating team, fired back on X, formerly Twitter: "Our defense principles are clear: an eye for an eye."

Araghchi added that "any aggression against Iran, including against our infrastructure, will result in a strong and decisive response," and that those who contribute to such aggression "in any form of support will also be considered legitimate targets."

Meanwhile, CENTCOM announced on X that US forces launched additional strikes against Iranian military targets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday Eastern time (6:30 a.m. Thursday Korean Standard Time) on orders from the commander in chief, marking the 12th consecutive day of US airstrikes against Iran.

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kate01@heraldcorp.com