Iranian media outlets reported hearing multiple explosions near Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal, on Sunday as military tensions with the United States escalated. The state news agency Farsnews said its correspondent heard the explosions but detected no smoke, while the local news outlet SNN reported that an Iranian oil tanker had been targeted by the United States near the island.
The news website Asr Iran said the tanker was struck by four projectiles fired by American forces and was being unloaded at the time. No immediate comment came from American or Iranian officials.
The incident followed weeks of rising tensions since an American and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28. On August 31, US President Donald Trump posted a single-line message on social media with an artificial-intelligence-generated video saying Kharg Island would be "razed to the ground." Iranian authorities pledged a strong response if the island came under attack.
After a month of relative calm, military escalation resumed on Sunday with an exchange of strikes, though diplomatic efforts remain stalled. On Thursday, Iran said its armed forces had attacked American military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, vowing retaliation for the deaths of civilians at a wedding that it attributed to a US strike.
Iran continues to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for global energy supplies, while the United States maintains a blockade of Iranian ports. Oil prices rose 0.8 percent for Brent crude and 0.2 percent for West Texas Intermediate on Friday, with weekly gains of 7.6 percent and nearly 10 percent respectively.
Initial shipping data showed four vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, well below the average of roughly 15 ships over the previous ten days, according to tracking data cited by analysts.
