Washington: US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, a US official said, in the first acknowledged US strikes on Iran since late July. Iran's military says it responded with ballistic missile attacks on US forces stationed in Jordan.
The US official said the launchers were targeted after forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were seen preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
“I can confirm that earlier today US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island,” the official said.
The IRGC said the US attack killed and wounded several soldiers and civilians and warned that Tehran would respond. Iranian state media reported the comments, while the semiofficial Tasnim news agency said the US had carried out a drone strike on the island.
Later on Sunday, Iran attacked US forces stationed in Jordan, according to a Fox News reporter citing a US source. Nearly all incoming missiles had been intercepted, the reporter said in a post on X, adding that there had been no significant impact so far.
Axios reported that the Iranian weapons used in the attack on the US base were ballistic missiles.
The strikes come amid an ongoing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route that was used to transport about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the conflict.
US President Donald Trump said last week that all mines in the international waters of the strait had either been detonated or removed. He said Iran had been warned that any ship or boat placing new mines would be destroyed.
The latest US strikes were the first known attacks on Iranian territory by American forces since late July. The conflict has reached a stalemate in recent weeks, while Washington has threatened to impose sanctions on countries trading with Iran.
The US and occupation forces in Palestine began their attacks on Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian strikes against Israel and Gulf states that host US military bases. The conflict has now passed six months.
US strikes on Iran and occupation attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions, according to figures cited by Reuters. Eighteen US service members have been killed in the conflict.
