Blasts shake Iranian coastline, Saudi air base as Trump predicts post-election end to war
Tehran: Multiple explosions reverberated across Iranian coastal territories, including Qeshm Island along with Sirik and Minab counties, official state media reported.
According to state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), several detonations were heard along the coastlines of Sirik and Minab counties. Addressing the blasts, the Hormozgan Governorate clarified that the detonations heard on Qeshm Island originated at sea.
Simultaneously, IRIB, citing Arab news outlets, reported that multiple explosions shook King Fahd Air Base in Saudi Arabia. State news agency IRNA reported that blast noises were also heard in the Saudi city of Taif, adding that local media reported at least two powerful explosions in the area.
The reports came as US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the military conflict with Iran will conclude "immediately" following the upcoming US mid-term elections, accusing Tehran of stalling operations in hopes that a shift in Washington's political leadership might allow it to pursue a nuclear capability.
Speaking to journalists before travelling to a Republican mid-term event in Dallas, Texas, Trump maintained that Tehran is seeking to influence American voters to secure a less hawkish administration.
“I think the war will end immediately after the election...They're desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
When asked why he anticipated hostilities would cease so swiftly following the vote, Trump reiterated that Tehran is running out of options.
“Because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election, so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. All they want is a nuclear weapon, and if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble," he stated.
Asked whether he expected a return to diplomatic negotiations or an escalation of the military campaign, Trump indicated Washington was in no hurry to negotiate, claiming recent strikes had severely weakened the Iranian regime. He added that any future diplomatic arrangement would need to extend beyond standard nuclear accords.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Thursday dismissed claims by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Yemen's Houthi movement operates as a proxy for Tehran, stating the group functions independently.
In a statement published on social media platform X, Baghaei accused Washington of stoking regional volatility through military deployments and unilateral policies, arguing that enduring peace in Yemen requires an end to foreign interference.
"Marco Rubio’s lies cannot replace facts. Ansarallah is an independent Yemeni actor that makes its own decisions; it takes orders from no one and acts as nobody’s proxy," Baghaei said.
Directing criticism at American policy across the Middle East, Baghaei urged Washington to pull back its military footprint if it genuinely desires regional stability.
"The roots of instability in the region lie in US military interventions and hegemonic policies. If Washington genuinely wanted peace, it would take one simple step: end its malign and destabilising interventions in our region," he stated.
ANI