US forces strike Iranian rocket launchers near Larak Island in Strait of Hormuz
US forces on Sunday struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard rocket launchers near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the first military action in a month in the drawn-out conflict. The strike came days after Washington signaled a shift toward economic pressure rather than military force against Iran.
A US official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the information, confirmed that American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Sunday near the Strait of Hormuz. The official said Revolutionary Guard forces had been observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. The strike came just a week after the US military finished clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping lanes.
Semiofficial Iranian outlets reported explosions near Larak Island. Iran's Revolutionary Guard, in a statement carried by state broadcasting, acknowledged the deaths and injuries of several fighters and civilians, vowing to punish those responsible.
A shift in strategy
The strike comes days after the Trump administration signaled it would rely more on economic pressure than military action to end the war with Iran, threatening to punish any country or entity continuing business with Tehran. The pivot toward sanctions comes amid concern over depleted US munitions stockpiles after months of conflict, raising worries about military readiness elsewhere in the world.
Trump said last week he is in no hurry to bring Iran back to negotiations, continuing to argue that Tehran's leadership has been severely weakened. Iranian officials have put the country's direct and indirect losses at $270 billion.
Strait remains contested
While Trump has repeatedly said the Strait of Hormuz is open, citing 24 vessels that passed through last week, that figure remains far below the roughly 130 vessels that transited daily before the war. A US Navy-led multinational coalition said Sunday that commercial traffic through the strait remains at reduced levels. Britain's maritime monitoring agency also reported that an unidentified projectile struck a tanker on Saturday near Khasab, Oman, causing no casualties or environmental damage. No group has claimed responsibility for that incident.
