The US military said it is conducting fresh airstrikes against Iran, raising concerns of a new cycle of hostilities between the two nations.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for the Middle East, said on Tuesday it was striking targets of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
"The airstrikes come in response to recent IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against US forces deployed in the region," the CENTCOM statement said.
Iran has previously retaliated against similar US strikes, so the new attacks risk igniting a fresh spiral of fighting.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported explosions in the south of the country, including at Kenerak, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm Island.
Tuesday's strike followed an exchange of attacks on Sunday, when US forces bombed Larak Island in southern Iran and Tehran retaliated with missiles against a US base in Jordan. Those were the first strikes between the two countries since July.
The administration of President Donald Trump had previously said it would shift strategy from airstrikes to intense economic pressure on Iran. The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and threatened secondary sanctions on Tehran's trading partners.
However, Iran still asserts control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy trade. In recent weeks, Trump and his aides have said the US is moving millions of barrels of oil through the strait daily despite Iran's blockade.
Attacks on vessels in and around the strait have been reported almost daily. On Monday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said an oil tanker was hit by three "unidentified objects" while transiting Hormuz.
