Blasts hit Iran's Qeshm Island and port of Jask, with no word yet on what caused them

Explosions were heard Saturday on Iran's Qeshm Island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz, and at the southern Iranian port of Jask, according to Iranian media. What set them off remains unclear, and Tehran has not officially confirmed any source for the blasts.

Earlier the same day, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck Qeshm Island. Tasnim offered no official information on whether anything was damaged. No casualties or damage assessments have been confirmed by Iranian authorities.

The reported blasts land just days after the United States carried out strikes on Qeshm Island. A US official characterized those strikes as limited and said they did not amount to a resumption of major combat operations.

The wider region had been watching for exactly this moment. Countries there expected US President Donald Trump — who had held off on strikes against Iran during the weeks leading up to Tuesday's midterm elections — might restart attacks once voting wrapped. Iran has repeatedly warned that any new attacks would be answered by strikes on US and Israeli targets in neighboring countries.

For now, the picture on the ground is murky: reports of explosions in two locations, a missile claim from a semi-official agency, and silence from Iran's government. What happens next hinges on whether Tehran names a cause — and whether it treats the blasts as the opening of another round.