US says it attacked Larak Island to prevent launch of sea mines, prompting reprisals against airbases used by US forces, with tanker fire also reported in strait
Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on airbases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates after the US attacked Iranian rocket launchers in the strait of Hormuz, the first such hostilities in a month.
Hours later, Iranian state TV later reported that a supertanker had caught fire after hitting two naval mines while attempting to pass through the southern side of the strait. It did not identify the vessel or provide information about its crew.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that other ships violating its rules would face the same fate and said compliance with its regulations for passage through the strait was mandatory.
The last known US strikes on Iran were in late July and the war has reached a stalemate in recent weeks, with Washington threatening to impose costly sanctions on countries that support Iran.
The latest exchange of fire was sparked late on Sunday by a US attack on Larak Island in the strait. “I can confirm that earlier today US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak island,” a US official said. “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait of Hormuz.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said the US attack killed and wounded several soldiers and citizens and would be met with “punishment” from Tehran, Iranian state media reported.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the US attack was a drone strike. The Mehr news agency quoted the IRGC as saying its air defences had shot down a US mq-9 drone over the strait, causing it to crash into Gulf waters.
In response to the attack, the IRGC “targeted technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and enemy fighter jet positions at the US-operated King Hussein and al-Azraq airbases in Jordan” with ballistic missiles, causing “heavy damage”, according to state TV.
On Sunday night, Reuters reported a US source as saying that all incoming missiles on US forces in Jordan had been intercepted with no significant impact so far.
Later, Iran’s army said it launched a drone attack on US forces in the United Arab Emirates’ al Minhad airbase early on Monday, Iranian state TV reported. It said the attack was in response to the Larak Island assault.
There was no immediate comment from the UAE on Iran’s claim and the UAE’s defence ministry had not issued a statement on the matter.
Hours after the attacks, US president Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that Iran’s energy hub of Kharg island was being “blown to smithereens” but gave no further details.
The White House and the US defense department did not immediately respond to requests for comment and there was no immediate response from Iran about the Kharg island claim.
Attacking Kharg, which handled 90% of Iran’s oil exports before the war, would severely disrupt the Islamic republic’s energy trade and put huge pressure on its economy.
