Iranian media reported that several Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz were hit by U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of July 19, local time.

Qeshm Island, a key hub for energy logistics located at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, was reportedly struck by at least six missiles.

According to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), residents near Qeshm Island and the major port city of Bandar Abbas in Iran's southern Hormozgan Province heard explosions around 4:00 a.m. local time on the same day.

The exact cause and precise location of the explosions were not immediately known.

Tasnim News Agency, which represents Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the U.S. military strike on Qeshm Island occurred around 3:40 a.m.

Earlier, the port city of Sirik, located along the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked around 1:30 a.m. on July 19, followed by an attack on the inland city of Hajabad at approximately 2:10 a.m.

Sirik and Hajabad are small cities located about 100 km southeast and 100 km north of Bandar Abbas, respectively.

Iranian authorities have not yet released any information regarding casualties or damage to major residential or commercial infrastructure following the airstrikes.

Previously, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) announced that it had launched new airstrikes against Iran at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 18 (1:30 a.m. July 19, Iran local time; 7:00 a.m. July 19, Korea Standard Time), under the direction of U.S. Commander-in-Chief President Donald Trump.

This marks the eighth consecutive night of U.S. airstrikes against Iran.

Central Command explained that the strikes were intended to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

The command explicitly stated that the strikes were in retaliation for the attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, noting they were meant to "swiftly punish the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for attacking U.S. service members in Jordan last night."

Central Command had previously announced that two U.S. soldiers stationed in Jordan were killed and one was missing following a ballistic missile and drone attack by Iran.

Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, a base belonging to the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) near Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq was hit by a drone attack in the early hours of July 19, leaving eight members injured.

Erbil residents told the Associated Press that they heard explosions as air defense systems were activated.

Erbil has been targeted by multiple drone attacks over the past four days.

While it was not immediately confirmed who carried out the attack, there is speculation that it may have been the work of Iran or Iranian-backed militant groups in Iraq.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)