US and Iran Trade Strikes After Drone Attack on Larak Island
American forces targeted two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island with drones, the first known US strike on Iranian territory since late July. According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the strike killed two people and injured two others, and the regime vowed “response and punishment.”
US Central Command described the operation as a “limited, precise action” taken after observing Iran preparing to launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz; the spokesperson warned that such activity would not go unchallenged.
In retaliation, Iranian officials said ballistic missiles were fired at the US bases of King Hussein and al‑Azraq in Jordan. Jordan’s army reported intercepting eight missiles during the early‑morning scramble.
Iran’s state television claimed that Iranian fighters also struck a UAE air base in Al‑Minhad with drones, but the UAE Ministry of Defence denied the claim as “unfounded” and announced only the downing of a single drone.
The Larak Island attack comes after the US paused a renewed military campaign in late July. Larak lies just offshore of Bandar Abbas and sits directly on the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which about 20 % of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes.
Since February, the strait has effectively operated as a closed zone, causing sharp oil price volatility.
Iran now demands that tanker traffic near Larak island pass safety checks and reportedly forces vessels to pay roughly $2 million to cross, sparking further economic pressure from the new sanctions announced on 24 August.
Hours after the Larak strike, Iranian media circulated footage of an IRGC statement claiming missiles were fired at US bases in Jordan, a claim that the US confirmed publicly and described as a legitimate defense reaction. The US Central Command later denied an earlier IRGC claim that a supertanker had struck sea mines in the strait, and stated that a subsequent photograph released by Tasnim was unverified disinformation.
The Iranian president also issued a statement on state TV saying Tehran was not seeking war but would deliver a decisive response to the “aggressors.”
CEO John Doe announced that President Trump posted AI‑generated videos on Truth Social, depicting explosions at key Iranian oil infrastructure, specifically targeting Kharg Island, a major oil terminal off the Iranian coast.
The US remains, as it has since the February offensive, conducting a naval blockade of Iran, and last week announced that it had disabled three vessels, boarded two, and redirected 82 ships as part of the broader strategy to limit Iran’s oil exports.
