Iran and the US have traded strikes after American forces attacked two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
The first known US strikes on Iran since late July killed two people and injured two others, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which vowed “response and punishment”.
US Central Command (Centcom) said it took “limited, precise action” after observing Iran preparing to “launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz”, according to its spokesperson.
Iran said it had struck US military bases in Jordan in response, with Jordan’s army saying it had intercepted eight missiles early on Monday morning.
Iran’s state TV also said the Iranian army had targeted an air base in the UAE with drones.
However, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence denied the reports that Al-Minhad Air Base had been targeted as “unfounded”. The UAE did confirm it shot down a drone.
The US strike is the first known attack on Iran since President Donald Trump paused a renewed military campaign in late July.
Larak Island is just offshore from the key port of Bandar Abbas and sits right on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global shipping. Some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel through before the war began.
Since the conflict began in February, the strait has effectively been closed, causing wild fluctuations in the price of oil on world markets.
Iran is currently demanding that tanker traffic pass by Larak Island for checks and reportedly forcing vessels to pay $2m (£1.5m) to cross.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, said earlier that the attack on Larak was carried out by drones.
