The United States military has struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, according to a US official, marking the first American attack on Iranian targets in more than a month.
The strikes were carried out after Iranian forces were reportedly observed preparing to launch rockets carrying mines into the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
Residents reported hearing an explosion near the island on Sunday, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
The development comes shortly after US Central Command completed an operation to clear sea mines from international shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump had previously warned Iran that any vessel or boat attempting to lay new mines in the waterway would be “immediately and systematically destroyed.”
Following the attack, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed retaliation, accusing the US and Israel of carrying out the strike.
The IRGC said the attack resulted in the deaths and injuries of several Iranian military personnel and civilians.
CNN.
