US strikes Iranian launchers on Larak island, Iran retaliates against US bases in Jordan

New Delhi: The US struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Iran responded within hours with ballistic missiles and drones against two US bases in Jordan, marking the sharpest exchange in the six-month-old conflict after weeks of relative calm.

US  Central Command (Centcom) said the strike targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. 

The Centcom spokesman, US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, said forces had observed the preparations and confirmed the strike in a statement: “Earlier today US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Last week, Centcom completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes,” Hawkins said. He further mentioned that, US forces are monitoring the area closely and are prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway.

The strike was the first publicly acknowledged US action against Iran since late July. 

Hours later after the attack, the US president, Donald Trump, posted a one-line message on Truth Social claiming Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export hub, was under attack, accompanied by a video showing explosions. 

“Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,” Trump said.

Reuters reported that there was no other evidence the island was actually under attack, and that neither the White House nor the US defence department had responded to requests for comment outside regular business hours. There was also no immediate response to the post on Iranian media.

Larak island, a small Iranian outpost in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping-control point for Tehran, used by the Revolutionary Guards to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes. 

Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile on Saturday while transiting the strait’s southern lane along the Omani coast, though it reported no casualties and advised vessels to navigate with caution.

Iran says strike killed and wounded several, retaliates in Jordan

Iran’s IRGC said the US attack killed and wounded several Iranian fighters and civilians and vowed to punish those responsible. In a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC referred to “the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots,” without giving an exact toll, and said the attack would “result in punishment of the aggressor.”

The IRGC spokesman, General Hossein Mohebi, called the attack a “strategic and fatal mistake” and warned Iran would respond in both the military and economic arenas, saying Washington would “pay a price” that would shift the balance against those who ordered it.

Ebrahim Azizi, who chairs the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, issued a sharper warning on post on X. “Retesting our will only makes the cost of your humiliating defeats even heavier,” he wrote, adding that “no crime, at any level, goes unanswered” and that Iran’s response would be “devastating, more painful, and instructive.” He told Washington to wait in fear and terror.

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, struck a more measured tone: “We are not seeking war,” he said, while warning that Iran would not stay silent in the face of what it called aggression.

Hours later, the IRGC said it had launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on two US bases in Jordan — King Hussein Air Base and Al-Azraq Air Base.  The attack targeted technical and maintenance infrastructure and areas where fighter jets were stationed, and claiming “heavy damage.” Iran said the attack used Kheibar Shekan solid-fuel ballistic missiles, launched alongside slower liquid-fuel missiles and drones.

Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace early Monday. Meanwhile, Centcom said that the blockade remains in place against Iran and, and that the Centcom forces have redirected 83 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance with the blockade.

Iran also claimed its air defences shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the strait, saying it crashed into the Gulf. 

Sunday’s exchange marks the sharpest confrontation since the war between the US and Iran began on February 28.

The clash rattled energy markets almost immediately. CNBC reported that Brent crude gained 1.54% to $89.46 a barrel in early Monday trading, while US crude rose 1.44% to $84.60, as traders weighed the risk of fresh disruption to the strait. 

Prices kept climbing through the session, with Reuters later reporting Brent had jumped more than 2%, pushing past $90 a barrel for the first time since the strike.