US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, marking the first direct exchange of fire between Washington and Tehran in nearly a month. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait when American forces carried out what the Pentagon described as “limited, precise action.” Iran retaliated hours later with missile strikes on US military bases in Jordan and a drone attack on an air base in the United Arab Emirates, though both countries reported intercepting the incoming weapons with no casualties.
The confrontation ended a four-week lull in direct US-Iran hostilities that had held since July 29, when CENTCOM conducted what it called a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iranian military targets. The resumption of strikes raised fresh fears of a wider escalation in a conflict that has already fundamentally reshaped energy markets and diplomatic alignments across the Middle East.
Iran Targets Bases in Jordan and UAE
The Larak Island operation targeted two IRGC rocket launchers that had been positioned on the small island near the strait’s southern shore. CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said US forces had been monitoring the area closely after completing a mine-clearing operation in the strait’s internationally recognized traffic separation scheme, announced on August 27 by Admiral Brad Cooper. “U.S. forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” Hawkins said. “In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce.”
Iran’s response came swiftly. The IRGC launched ballistic missiles targeting King Hussein and Al Azraq air bases in Jordan, which host US fighter aircraft and support personnel. The Jordanian military reported intercepting eight missiles that entered its airspace. Iran separately said it deployed attack drones against Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, where US personnel and helicopters are stationed. The UAE air force intercepted the drone over territorial waters, though Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency claimed the strikes hit their intended targets. Neither Jordan nor the UAE reported damage or casualties.
The Iranian military described its retaliation as a “necessary and lawful answer” to the American attack on Larak Island. The exchange highlighted the fragile nature of the monthlong pause that had settled over the strait since late July, during which both sides had appeared to pull back from direct confrontation while maintaining their respective positions.
Iran Adapts Under Military Constraints
Iran’s attempt to re-lay mines using rocket launchers, rather than the fast attack craft it had previously employed, suggested the IRGC is adapting under significant military constraints. ISW analysts noted that US airstrikes during the conflict had destroyed more than 60 IRGC fast attack craft near and in the Strait of Hormuz, along with coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and drone launch sites. The degraded naval capability forced Iran to use less efficient methods to threaten shipping through the waterway.
“CENTCOM announced that US forces successfully removed the mines that Iran previously laid in the strait’s internationally recognized traffic separation scheme,” ISW reported in its August 31 update. “Iran’s suboptimal methods to intimidate ships suggest that Iranian forces are adapting under military constraints that are limiting Iran’s ongoing ability to threaten vessels.”
In a separate development, CENTCOM firmly denied Iran’s claim that sea mines had struck a supertanker attempting to transit the strait through what the IRGC called an “illegal route.” “This is false,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz.” The denial undercut Tehran’s effort to maintain the perception of danger in the waterway even after US forces had cleared its primary shipping lanes.
Trump Posts AI Video of Kharg Island
President Trump escalated the rhetorical battle with a post on Truth Social sharing an AI-generated video depicting what he claimed was Kharg Island, Iran’s most critical oil export terminal, being destroyed. “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens,” Trump wrote. A US military official confirmed that no strikes had targeted Kharg Island, and Reuters found no evidence of any attack on the facility. Kharg handles roughly 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports, and satellite data from Kpler showed its loading volumes had plummeted from 1.98 million barrels per day in February to just 251,000 barrels per day in August under the US naval blockade.
The resumption of hostilities at Hormuz came as the Trump administration also intensified its economic campaign against Tehran. A Haaretz analysis published Monday described the targeting of an Egyptian bank as the opening enforcement step of Washington’s latest sanctions push, designed to warn regional entities against acting as financial conduits for Iranian trade. The campaign aims to further isolate an economy that has already seen foreign trade drop 35 percent and annual inflation climb to 66 percent since the conflict began.
The Larak Island strike and Iran’s retaliation demonstrated that despite months of sustained US military pressure, Tehran retains the capability and willingness to respond to perceived provocations, even as its military and economic position continues to deteriorate rapidly. The exchange also showed that the strait remains a dangerous flashpoint where any miscalculation could quickly reignite a broader confrontation between the world’s largest military power and a regime facing unprecedented strain on multiple fronts simultaneously.
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