Iran’s Bushehr deputy governor blamed “US-Israeli enemy projectiles” for a strike on a military site, then the US denied any new attacks

Iranian state media said two military sites in the southern part of the country came under attack on Thursday evening, with local officials blaming what they called “US-Israeli enemy projectiles.” The report was carried by Gulf News, which cited Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. US officials pushed back quickly, denying that American forces had carried out any new strikes at the time the explosions were reported.

The state-run IRNA agency cited Ehsan Jahanian, the political and security deputy governor of Bushehr province, who said a military facility near the city of Bushehr had been struck. Bushehr is home to sensitive military installations and energy infrastructure, including Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, and there was no indication that the nuclear facility itself had been affected. A similar strike was reported near the plant on March 24, 2026, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, though Iranian authorities said at the time that no damage or injuries resulted.

Separately, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that a naval military zone in Konarak, a strategic port along the Gulf of Oman in Sistan and Baluchestan province, was attacked twice by what it described as “enemy fighter jets.” Konarak county governor Mohammad Younes Haqani said security forces and emergency responders had been sent to the area following the strikes.

The U.S. and Israel are denying any role in the strikes

A US official told CNN that American forces were not conducting any strikes inside Iran at the time of the reported explosions, and Israeli officials likewise said they were unaware of any Israeli involvement. The denials followed a flurry of military activity between the two countries earlier in the week, after President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was effectively over.

The conflicting accounts fit a pattern seen throughout the conflict, in which Iranian state media has blamed explosions or military incidents on the United States or Israel while Washington and Tel Aviv have not always acknowledged involvement. That pattern has persisted even as Iran’s negotiating leverage has become a growing subject of debate among former US officials watching the broader war.

There was no independent confirmation of the reported strikes on Bushehr and Konarak as of Friday morning. As of 3:14 AM on July 10, the extent of any damage or casualties from the incidents remained unknown.