What's trending, explained.
What's trending, explained.
US forces struck two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, in the first known American military action against Iran since late July, when President Donald Trump paused a renewed campaign. US Central Command described the operation as "limited, precise action," saying its forces had observed Iran's Revolutionary Guard preparing to launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the strait.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the strikes killed two people and injured two others, and vowed "response and punishment." Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Guard, said the attack on Larak was carried out by drones. The island sits just offshore from the key port of Bandar Abbas, at the northern edge of the strait. Hours later, Iran said it had fired ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan — naming the King Hussein and al-Azraq bases — in retaliation. Jordan's army said it intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace early on Monday morning.
Iranian state television also claimed the Iranian army had targeted the Al-Minhad Air Base in the UAE with drones. The UAE's Ministry of Defense denied the report as "unfounded," while confirming it had shot down a drone. Iran's foreign ministry called its strikes "legitimate defense," and President Masoud Pezeshkian said: "We are not seeking war, but we will deliver a decisive response to the aggressors."
Separately, US Central Command denied an Iranian claim that a supertanker had struck sea mines and caught fire while navigating the strait on an unauthorised route.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil chokepoint. About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through it before the conflict began in February 2026, when the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran. Since then the strait has been effectively closed to normal traffic, sending oil prices swinging. Iran has been demanding that tankers pass by Larak Island for checks, reportedly charging vessels up to $2 million to cross.
The exchange matters because it ended weeks of relative calm and pulled Jordan — which hosts US military assets but has tried to stay out of direct confrontation — into the line of fire. The strait itself is only about 21 miles wide at its tightest point, between Iran, the UAE, and Oman, and its shipping lanes lie within Iranian and Omani territorial waters — which is why any military activity there immediately rattles global energy markets.
Neither side has announced further operations. The pattern so far has been bursts of strikes followed by pauses — Trump halted the previous round in late July at the request of Gulf allies. Whether diplomacy resumes or the cycle repeats is not clear from official statements. Oil markets and shipping insurers will be watching the strait closely in the coming days.