United States forces have struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, in the first known American attack on Iran for about a month.
A US official said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel had been seen preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway. The official spoke anonymously because the operation involved sensitive military movements.
The attack came only days after the US military said it had completed clearing mines from international shipping routes through the strait, one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Iranian media reported hearing explosions near Larak Island, which lies close to the main shipping lanes. The IRGC said several of its fighters and civilians had been killed or injured, although it did not provide a precise casualty figure.
In a statement broadcast by Iranian state television, the Guards warned that the attack would lead to “punishment of the aggressor”. Iranian officials also threatened to respond against the United States on military and economic fronts.
The strikes marked a renewed use of military force after the Trump administration said last week that it would concentrate on increasing economic pressure on Tehran rather than launching further attacks.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains at reduced levels, according to a multinational coalition overseen by the US Navy. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said an unidentified projectile also struck a tanker north of Khasab, Oman, on Saturday, although no casualties or environmental damage were reported.
The strait has remained at the centre of the conflict because of its role in global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Before the war, roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the waterway.
