US forces have struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, in the first American attack on Iranian targets for about a month.
The launchers were targeted after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategically important waterway, according to Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command.
The operation took place only days after US forces completed clearing mines from international shipping routes through the strait. The narrow passage is a vital route for global energy supplies and has become a central flashpoint in the conflict.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the strike involved sensitive military movements, said the action was intended to prevent the IRGC from laying fresh mines and threatening commercial shipping.
Iranian media reported explosions near Larak Island. In a statement broadcast by Iran’s state broadcaster, the Revolutionary Guard said several of its fighters and other people had been killed or injured.
The Guard described the attack as an act of aggression and warned that it would respond. No precise casualty figures were immediately given.
Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump said Iran had been warned that any vessel or boat attempting to place new mines in the Strait of Hormuz would be destroyed.
The latest strike ends a period of relative calm following weeks of US military action against Iranian targets and risks triggering a renewed confrontation around one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
