US strikes Iran's Larak Island, Iran fires missiles at bases in Jordan

The United States struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles against two US bases in Jordan, in the sharpest escalation between the two sides since July, US and Iranian officials said on August 31.

The exchange shatters a month-long pause in direct fighting and threatens the fragile diplomacy around the strait, where Iran and Oman have been discussing an arrangement to restore maritime traffic through the chokepoint that carries about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil. Brent crude rose more than 2% after the strikes.

US Central Command said it had taken limited, precise action against mine-laying forces posing an imminent threat in the strait, with spokesman Tim Hawkins saying Revolutionary Guard forces had been observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines. US forces finished clearing mines from the strait's international shipping lanes last week.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the first known US strike on Iran since late July killed two people and wounded two others on the island, which lies off the major port of Bandar Abbas.

In a secondary report, IRGC forces said a supertanker caught fire and was brought to a halt after striking two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz, the military said.

The claim directly contradicts Washington's account of the chokepoint, where CENTCOM said last week it had finished clearing the international shipping lanes and President Donald Trump has insisted vessels can transit freely, and it signals Iran's intent to keep enforcing control over a strait through which about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil normally passes.

The IRGC Navy said the vessel had tried to pass through what it called an illegal route south of the strait when it struck the mines, according to a statement carried by Tasnim and Iranian state television. It did not identify the tanker or give details of its crew.

The Guard warned that ships violating its security regulations for the strait would meet the same fate, and said compliance with its rules for passage was mandatory. It urged shipping companies not to be drawn in by what it termed American provocations and not to put their crews and property at risk.

The Guards vowed a response and punishment, with spokesman Hossein Mohebbi calling the attack a strategic and fatal mistake by what he termed the Trump regime and warning of consequences in economic and military fields.

Iran launched ballistic missiles at the King Hussein and Al-Azraq bases in Jordan, which the Guards said in a combined missile and drone operation codenamed Punishment of the Aggressor had struck technical and maintenance infrastructure and fighter-jet positions, causing heavy damage.

Jordan's army said it intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace early on August 31. Iran's state TV separately said the army had targeted the Al-Dhafra base in the UAE with drones.

The Guard warned that aggression would not resolve what it called the enemy's desperation over Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that every strike would be met with more devastating responses.

Iran's foreign ministry condemned the attack on Larak and called the strikes on Jordan legitimate defence.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was not seeking war but would deliver a decisive response to aggressors, in a statement carried by state TV.

Larak Island sits on the strait, where Iran has been diverting tanker traffic for inspection. Iran is reported to have been forcing vessels to pay $2mn to cross, though that figure has not been independently confirmed.

Hours after the strike, US President Donald Trump posted what appeared to be AI-generated videos on Truth Social showing oil infrastructure exploding, one captioned in reference to Kharg Island, the terminal that handles most of Iran's crude exports and which Trump has threatened to seize. The post did not elaborate.