The United States has launched strikes against two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, marking its first military action against Iran since late July.
US Central Command confirmed the operation on Sunday, saying Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces had been observed preparing the launchers to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway.
“Earlier today, US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island,” a CENTCOM spokesperson said.
The strikes came as the conflict between Washington and Tehran reached its six-month mark, even as military tensions had appeared to ease in recent weeks.
The Trump administration has recently focused more heavily on what it describes as “economic warfare” against Iran rather than conducting additional military strikes.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global shipping route, with about one-fifth of the world’s oil previously passing through the waterway before the conflict escalated following US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran on February 28.
Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said American forces had recently completed an operation to clear sea mines from international shipping routes in the strait.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes,” Hawkins said.
He added: “US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway.”
The latest US strikes came amid prolonged diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Mediators, including Pakistan and Qatar, have been working for months to broker an agreement between the two countries.
Although the parties reached a ceasefire in April and signed a memorandum of understanding in June as a step towards a comprehensive peace agreement, a final deal has yet to emerge.
Washington has since intensified economic pressure on Tehran as diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting settlement continue.