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Tehran: The United States carried out airstrikes near Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant in the southern province of Bushehr on Thursday, July 9, according to Iranian state media, as hostilities between Washington and Tehran intensified.

Ehsan Jahanian, deputy governor of Bushehr province, said the attacks struck several locations, including the perimeter of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a military base in Choghadak and a fishing pier in the south of the province.

He said there were no immediate reports of casualties.

State-run IRNA reported that the strikes took place around midday, several hours after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced another wave of military operations against Iran.

Residents of nearby Choghadak, about 20 kilometres from the nuclear facility, reported hearing multiple explosions before local officials confirmed the attacks.

Escalating conflict

The latest strikes came a day after the United States launched attacks on Iranian military and strategic sites, saying the operation was in response to attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Early on Thursday, CENTCOM said US forces had struck approximately 90 military targets, including air defence systems, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance assets, naval capabilities and logistics infrastructure.

Iran later launched missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases across the Gulf. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan, warning that any further US action would trigger a broader response.

Developments here

Iran claims strike on Jordan’s Azraq base

The IRGC later said it fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base in response to the latest US strikes.

Jordan, however, said its air defences intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran, with the state-run Petra news agency reporting no casualties or damage.

Strait of Hormuz tensions

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said US strikes on Iran and Washington’s involvement in directing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were hampering efforts to restore traffic through the strategic waterway.

The force said transit capacity had recovered to around 50 per cent of pre-conflict levels over the past two weeks, adding that only vessels authorised to use routes designated by Iran were currently permitted to pass through the strait.

The IRGC warned that any further US intervention in the waterway would draw what it described as a “crushing response”.