Residents of Qeshm Island and Sirik county in Hormozgan province heard several explosions from the direction of the sea and the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday evening, 4 October 2026. According to IranWire, the official news agency IRNA also reported that the sounds had been heard in Qeshm and said that so far no reports of any impact on the island itself had been received.
According to domestic media, including Tabnak and Shahrara News, the explosions were strong enough that a slight tremor was felt in some places. Citing local sources, these outlets wrote that the sounds were probably linked to warning shots fired at ships that, in the Islamic Republic's view, were crossing the strait without permission. However, as of the time of publication, neither the IRGC Navy nor the Hormozgan governorate had confirmed or denied the cause of the explosions.
Another tanker damaged on the Omani side of the strait
Hours before these reports, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had been hit by an unidentified projectile and its engine room had been damaged. According to the agency, the crew are safe and no environmental pollution has been reported. The ship's name and destination were not disclosed.
According to Middle East Eye, the agency had earlier said that since Thursday, 1 October, at least three commercial vessels had been targeted in and around the strait: a supertanker carrying about two and a half million barrels of oil caught fire after being hit near Oman, two more ships were damaged on Friday, and on Saturday a tanker was struck on its side about four nautical miles east of the coast of Oman. All of these attacks took place on the southern route, close to Omani waters.
In the first four days of October alone, at least four tankers have been hit by unidentified projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait closed and traffic at its lowest level
According to Gulf News, UKMTO data show that 48 maritime incidents have been recorded in the region since 6 July, 31 of them projectile strikes on the southern route off Oman, in most cases damaging the ships' engine rooms. Commercial shipping traffic through the waterway is about 75% lower than before the war.
Arab News notes that since the start of the war with the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic has accused passing ships of lacking permission and has targeted them. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Islamic Republic's parliament, also repeated on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Tehran's seven conditions are met. No party has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks.
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