ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJULY 8, 2026 23:31Updated: JULY 8, 2026 23:50The US military began a round of strikes in Iran on Wednesday evening, with explosions reported in the country's southern regions shortly after President Donald Trump declared that the Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran "is over."Iranian semi-official news agency Mehr reported that air defenses were activated in southern Iran after explosions were heard in the cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Konarak, and Chabahar."At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," US CENTCOM said in a statement on X/Twitter.Iranian state media, IRNA, reported power cuts in parts of Chabahar following the explosions, with the semi-official Nour News adding that the Iranian armed forces are preparing to launch a "massive attack" on US army bases in the region shortly.The US notified Israeli officials ahead of the attack on Iran, KAN reported.This is a developing story.Follow us on Google