TEHRAN/LONDON/CAIRO/MANAMA - Several explosions were heard in Iran's southern Sirik county and Qeshm Island early Sunday, state-run IRIB news agency reported, as the US military announced additional strikes against multiple targets in Iran on Saturday.

The explosions heard in Sirik were caused by a number of projectiles hitting a communications tower in the area of Tahrui village, the IRIB quoted an informed military source as saying.

It cited another informed source as saying that a number of projectiles have also hit Mesen village on Qeshm Island.

In addition, the IRIB reported a number of explosions in Bandar Lengeh county in the southern province of Hormozgan, but did not confirm the reports.

In a post on social media platform X early Sunday, the US Central Command said its forces had carried out additional strikes against multiple targets in Iran on Saturday.

According to the command, the strikes followed Iran's retaliation after the United States responded a day earlier to an Iranian attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely.

It said Iranian forces subsequently launched a one-way attack drone that struck the Panama-flagged tanker M/T Kiku while it was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz, carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil.

The command said its forces "launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping," adding that the US military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.

'US violates MoU’

In Tehran, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior advisor to Iran's supreme leader, said on Saturday the United States has violated the recently signed peace memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington by continuing to create tension in the Strait of Hormuz.

Rezaei, who is also a former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), made the remarks in a post on social media platform X hours after the United States carried out airstrikes on Iran's southern coastal areas.

He said, "The United States, by supporting the actions of its proxy force (Israel) in the region and continuing to create tension in the Strait of Hormuz, has violated the first and fifth paragraphs of the (peace) MoU."

Under the first paragraph of the MoU signed on June 18, Iran and the United States, as well as their allies, declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertook not to initiate any war or military operation against each other. According to the fifth paragraph, Iran is responsible for arranging the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, at no charge.

Rezaei warned that Iran's response to the violation of each paragraph of the MoU will be "swift and crushing."

Also in a Saturday post on X, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, said the United States once again attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations.

ALSO READ: Renewed Iran-US strikes put fragile ceasefire to test

CENTCOM said on X early Saturday that its forces conducted strikes against Iran Friday night "as a powerful response to yesterday's attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz," adding that Iran's actions had "violated the ceasefire."

The IRGC said in a statement later that its naval forces had struck US military positions in West Asia in response to the US airstrikes on southern Iran.

It added that the United States had carried out attacks on Iran's southern coastal areas under the pretext of an incident involving a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that further US attacks would trigger a stronger response.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait beginning Feb 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following joint strikes on Iranian territory.

UKMTO: Tanker hit in Hormuz Strait

Also on Saturday, a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unidentified projectile, causing damage to the vessel's bridge, while all crew members remain safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

According to a UKMTO warning issued on Saturday, the incident was reported by the vessel's master at around 0800 UTC.

"The vessel sustained damage to their bridge; all crew are reported safe. No environmental damage reported at present," the warning said.

The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is a vital artery for global energy supplies, with about one-fifth of the world's oil consumption passing through it.

Shipping through the strait had gradually resumed after the United States and Iran recently reached a memorandum of understanding. But regional tensions resurfaced on Thursday.

Egypt, Bahrain, UAE call for safeguarding Hormuz navigation

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stressed the need to safeguard navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

READ MORE: Shipping rules emerge as next flashpoint in US-Iran friction

During a phone discussion on the latest regional developments, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum of the peace negotiations following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, the statement said.

The two ministers called for the continuation of Iran-US negotiations to ease tensions and promote regional security and stability.

Bahrain: Iranian drone attacks targeted territory

In Manama, Bahrain announced early Saturday that its territory was targeted by Iranian drone attacks.

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks in a statement, describing them as a violation of the kingdom's sovereignty, a threat to the security of citizens and residents, and a breach of international norms and conventions that prohibit targeting civilian facilities and terrorizing civilians.

The ministry said Iran's continued attacks, at a time when regional and international efforts are moving toward de-escalation, hold Tehran solely responsible for undermining peace efforts and reveal an approach based on destabilizing security, exporting chaos and undermining regional stability.