Video of Iranian airstrike released by U.S. Central Command [AFP-Yonhap News]

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on the 9th (local time) that projectiles fired by U.S. and Israeli forces struck a military base on the outskirts of Bushehr in southern Iran.

Ehsan Jahanian, Deputy Governor for Political and Security Affairs of Bushehr Province, stated, "A military base located on the outskirts of Bushehr was targeted and hit by projectiles fired by the U.S.-Israeli enemy forces."

However, he added, "The explosion sounds heard in the city of Bushehr a short while ago were the result of an immediate response by our air defense systems."

Earlier, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that a series of multiple explosions were heard in major coastal cities in the south.

Six explosions were reported in Bushehr, home to Iran's only commercial nuclear power plant, and the nearby Choghadak region, while three explosions were heard in the southeastern coastal city of Konarak.

The agency also reported that explosions occurred in the port city of Bandar Abbas, a strategic hub in the Strait of Hormuz.

The cause of the explosions and the extent of any damage have not yet been immediately determined.

Iran had previously attacked a merchant vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz outside of designated routes, and the U.S. launched airstrikes across Iran in retaliation.

On this, the third day of the armed conflict, U.S. projectiles landed near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran. In response, Iran expanded the scope of its retaliatory attacks by firing 10 ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan, following earlier strikes on U.S. bases in the Gulf region, including those in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.