July 17, 2014 – Tasnim News reported that the explosions heard on Iran’s Qeshm Island were linked to maritime activity in the nearby Strait of Hormuz and were not caused by an attack. An eyewitness confirmed the sounds were related to shipping operations, not a hostile assault, on the island’s eastern side, contrary to earlier speculation.
According to TASS, the Iranian agency’s statement was aimed at dispelling concerns that Qeshm had been targeted. The report cited that the explosions were “related to the Strait of Hormuz and did not involve any attack on Qeshm Island.”
An eyewitness, speaking to a Tasnim correspondent, said the noises originated from the strait, reinforcing the agency’s claim that the island was not under attack.
Before TASS’s statement, the independent IRNA news agency had already reported explosions in the island’s eastern part. While both reports cite similar locations, IRNA’s account did not confirm whether the blasts were due to an attack; it only noted the occurrence of explosions.
TASS included the source as the Tasnim news agency, which was the outlet that first reported the maritime linkage of the sounds. No other independent verification was available at the time of writing.
