US strikes Iranian launchers on Larak Island in first known attack in weeks
Iran says the attack killed some civilians and is the first known US strike on Iran since late July.
American forces have targeted two Iranian launchers situated on Iran's Larak Island, marking the first reported US military action against Iran since late July, according to a US official.
Commander Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, was quoted by CBS News, the BBC's US partner, stating that "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz."
The IRGC confirmed the Sunday attack resulted in multiple casualties, both dead and wounded, and vowed "response and punishment."
This incident represents the initial known US strike within Iran since President Donald Trump halted a renewed military campaign in late July. Earlier this month, the US declared it had completed the removal of all mines from the strait's primary shipping lane.
Larak Island is positioned just off the coast of the crucial port of Bandar Abbas and directly within the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international shipping route.
Currently, Iran is directing tanker traffic to pass by this island for inspection and is reportedly compelling vessels to pay $2 million (£1.5 million) for passage.
Hossein Mohebbi, the IRGC's spokesman, characterized the attack as a "strategic and fatal mistake by the Trump regime" and asserted that the "enemy will pay the consequences of this miscalculation in both the economic and military fields."
Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, previously reported that drones carried out the attack. It indicated that two individuals were killed and two others sustained injuries.
Last week, Trump stated that all mines placed in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran as part of its efforts to blockade the route had been detonated or removed. He warned that any ship or boat deploying new mines would be destroyed.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed Trump's claim as a "propaganda" deception.
Iran is currently facing renewed economic pressure following Washington's announcement on August 24 of a new sanctions campaign aimed at further isolating Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions against its allies.
Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed this campaign as a continuation of previous US economic measures, which they contend followed Washington's military failure in the recent conflict.
On February 28, the US and Israel initiated extensive strikes on Iran. In response, Iran attacked Israel, US bases, and allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to marine traffic. The Iran war has now surpassed the six-month mark.
Prior to the war, approximately 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas traversed this route.