Tehran:The US military has launched strikes against Iran in response to the Iranian forces downing a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, risking military escalation with Tehran, even as American President Donald Trump is seeking a deal to end the war. According to US officials, several Iranian air defence and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz were targeted in the strikes, following which Tehran has pledged to leave no "attack or threat unanswered".

According to an Al Jazeera report, explosions were heard in Jask and Bandar Abbas in Iran, but there is no clarity about the scope of this wave of attacks. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that explosions were also heard on Qeshm Island, marking the latest in a series of blasts to shake the area.

The report added that explosions had previously been heard across other locations in southern Iran, including Sirik.  Citing US officials, Axios reported that US forces launched three rounds of strikes in Iran, with air defence systems and radars among the targets.  But Iran's Fars news agency reported that two water tanks in the Bemani district of Sirik were also struck and destroyed.