Residents in multiple Gulf cities reported hearing explosions on Sunday as missile attacks linked to Iran continued across the region, targeting locations where American military forces are present.

Witnesses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi said loud blasts echoed through the cities, while warning sirens were activated in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. In Doha, the capital of Qatar, journalists also reported hearing a distant explosion.

Reports of the blasts come a day after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes targeting Iranian sites linked to its nuclear programme. The retaliatory attacks from Tehran appear to be spreading across several countries in the Gulf region.

Some visuals circulating online appeared to show a hotel building hit by a strike, though these images have not been independently verified.

Residents in Dubai described hearing repeated explosions. An Indian professional living in the city said blasts could be heard periodically throughout the day. Another resident also reported hearing distant explosions but said it was unclear whether they were directly caused by Iranian missile strikes.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media claimed that a tanker attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz was hit and is now sinking. Television footage reportedly showed thick black smoke rising from a vessel on fire at sea. The narrow waterway is considered one of the world’s most crucial shipping routes, handling a significant portion of global oil and liquefied natural gas transport.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier warned that the Strait of Hormuz had become unsafe for maritime traffic following the recent US-Israel strikes and declared the route closed to ships.

In another development, John Healey, the defence secretary of the United Kingdom, confirmed that two ballistic missiles had been launched toward Cyprus. He said the missiles were unlikely to have been intended for the island but highlighted the risk faced by British military bases and personnel stationed there.

British aircraft were reportedly involved in defensive operations in the region, operating from bases in Cyprus as well as in Qatar.

The escalation has raised concerns that the conflict could expand further across the Middle East as retaliatory strikes continue.