Iran: Explosions on Qeshm Island in Strait of Hormuz; Cause Unknown
Explosions were heard on Iran’s Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing the semi-official Iranian Mehr news agency, which said the cause was unknown and no further details were available. Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf and a major Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy base; it sits directly on the strait through which Iran’s newly-established Persian Gulf Strait Authority claims to control transit. No official Iranian comment has been issued; no claim of responsibility was made; Western intelligence assessments are pending. The incident comes in the third day of Trump’s “two or three day” pause on the cancelled US strike.
The Qeshm explosions are the first reported incident on Iranian territory since Trump’s Truth Social cancellation Monday night and add an additional unverified variable to the negotiating posture. Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), established yesterday, claims that navigation through the designated zone of the Strait of Hormuz requires “full coordination” with the authority; Iranian state media report 1,500 vessels currently waiting for Iranian permission to transit. The Institute for the Study of War, citing Articles 37, 38 and 44 of UNCLOS, judges Iran’s claim incorrect: the Strait of Hormuz is an international strait with a right of transit passage that bordering states are prohibited from hampering. US Central Command says it has now redirected 85 commercial vessels and disabled four since the 13 April blockade began.