Fars reports heavy explosions in southern Strait of Hormuz
Military sources cited by Fars describe the blasts as the strait's shipping traffic remains near a standstill
Published
Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
Heavy explosions have been reported in the southern Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Fars news agency said, citing military sources.
The report has not been independently confirmed. It comes after weeks of unexplained projectile strikes and warning-shot blasts in the strait through September and early October, and after the US Navy had said transit through the waterway had reopened. Centcom briefed international shipping partners on Thursday as traffic through the strait stayed near a standstill, with vessel transits running at about 2 a day against a pre-conflict average of 125.
Iran has said it will soon block illegal routes through the strait and that it can extend its weapons range. An adviser to the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has said illegal routes through the strait would be targeted. Trump has said the US will not attack Iran before the November 3 midterms, while keeping the blockade on Iran in full force.
Crude carries the direct exposure to any escalation. The EIA has raised its 2026 Brent forecast to $98 a barrel, citing tight diesel supply and the Hormuz disruptions, and expects Brent to average $105 a barrel in the fourth quarter. Shipping firms have already put $2 billion into tanker-avoidance routing. A confirmed strike of this scale would test whether the standoff is shifting from sporadic incidents toward a more active confrontation, rather than the contested but functioning transit officials have described.