Explosions Reported Across Iranian Inland; U.S. Appears to Have Expanded Airstrike Range

▲ U.S.-Iran

Multiple explosions were heard across various inland regions of Iran on the morning of July 16 (local time).

According to Iranian media outlets, including the IRNA news agency, several explosions were heard for about an hour starting at 3:30 a.m. that day in Khorramabad in Lorestan Province, Khondab in Markazi Province in the west-central region, and Semnan Province in the north.

These cities are home to major Iranian missile bases.

While local officials told Iranian media that they are investigating the cause of the explosions, they pointed to U.S. military strikes as a likely cause.

An official in Semnan Province told state television, "The airport in Semnan Province was hit by a U.S. attack early on the morning of July 16."

Iran's Tasnim News Agency and others reported that around the same time, "Air defense units on the outskirts of the capital, Tehran, activated their air defense systems in response to enemy reconnaissance aircraft."

They further reported that air defense systems were activated in Parchin, located approximately 30 km southeast of Tehran.

Parchin is suspected to be a site for Iran's missile development and production, as well as nuclear facilities.

In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) clarified, "There were no strikes on the Parchin area, and the air defense systems were activated as part of routine readiness drills and performance checks."

Based on reports from Iranian media, while the U.S. military had previously targeted Iran's southern and southwestern coasts near the Strait of Hormuz, there is a possibility that the scope of the airstrikes has expanded to the Iranian inland.

The U.S. Central Command, which leads the airstrikes on Iran, announced that it conducted operations as of 9 p.m. Eastern Time on July 15 (4:30 a.m. July 16, Iran time) to bomb Iranian military facilities threatening commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but did not confirm any strikes on the inland.

Attacks on the Iranian inland have primarily been within the scope of Israeli operations, but it has not been confirmed that the explosions on this day were related to Israel.

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