The US military launched new strikes against Iran on Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump said he would respond to an American attack helicopter being shot down.
The moves mark the latest escalation between the US and Tehran and add new risks to a two-month-old ceasefire.
The US military's Central Command said in a statement that "self-defence strikes" had started at 5pm ET (1am Gulf time) at Mr Trump's direction. It did not immediately say what had been hit.
Iran's state broadcaster confirmed explosions at Sirik, on the southern coast bordering the strait of Hormuz, and nearby Qeshm Island.
“Sirik is confirmed to have been hit by a projectile but the location and manner of impact have not been determined,” the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported on Telegram.
Six explosions were heard in Qeshm, which were caused by “enemy projectiles from a fighter jet” Irib added.
Centcom said the mission was a "proportional response" to unjustified Iranian aggression."
Mr Trump said earlier he had been told by the US military that an Apache helicopter had been brought down overnight while conducting a patrol.
He said the aircraft had two pilots on board and that both were safe and uninjured. A US official told Reuters that a one-way attack drone had taken down the helicopter.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, wrote on X that foreign forces close to Iran's territory are at "constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents or potentially being caught in crossfire".
"To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave. We prefer language of diplomacy but speak other languages too."
Earlier, Centcom said two crew members from a US Army AH-64 Apache, which went down near the coast of Oman, had been rescued.
Centcom said the soldiers were rescued within two hours and were in stable condition, adding that the incident is still under investigation.
Mr Trump has struggled to secure a ceasefire for the war he started on Iran, alongside Israel.
Israel on Tuesday conducted renewed air strikes on Lebanon, including on the southern city of Tyre, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens more.
Lizzie Porter contributed to this report.
