US strikes Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in first attack in weeks

[WASHINGTON] The US military on Sunday (Aug 30) struck two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island that were preparing to send mines into the Strait of Hormuz, following weeks of relative calm.

Larak Island – a small island in the Strait of Hormuz near the strategic port of Bandar Abbas – overlooks shipping lanes at the mouth of the Gulf, giving it a key role in tension over Iran, maritime security and global energy supplies.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were getting ready to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait, said captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command.

In retaliation to the US attacks, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Jordan, targeting two US bases. Jordan’s armed forces had intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace, state television said.

Separately, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s energy hub of Kharg Island –  which handled 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports before the war started on Feb 28 – is being blown to smithereens.

“Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,” Trump said in a one-line social media post accompanied by an artificial intelligence-generated video clip, without giving further details.

Reuters confirmed that the accompanying video clip showing dramatic explosions was most likely synthetically-generated, using software that detects AI-manipulated imagery.

There was no other evidence that the Iranian energy hub was under attack. The White House and the US Defense Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours.

There was also no immediate response to Trump’s post on Iranian media.

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First military action in over a month

Last week, the US military finished clearing mines from shipping routes in the strait, once an international waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flowed. 

“US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” Hawkins said. 

The attack by the US was the first military action against Iran in more than a month, as Trump has switched to a campaign to squeeze the economy of the Islamic Republic.

The US last fired missiles at Iranian targets in late in July.

Since then, the Trump administration has planned to embark on a campaign to drive Iran to the negotiating table by squeezing its economy. 

Iran’s top diplomat said on Friday that resuming diplomacy with the US “isn’t impossible”, after what he described as “creative discussions” with Qatar, a mediator in the conflict.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that progress “hinges on US understanding of one simple fact: Pressure doesn’t work”.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promised an “economic onslaught” against Iran and its trading partners.

That includes China, which buys 90 per cent of Iran’s oil. He said the White House would be discussing with allies their plans to stop buying Iranian projects, but so far there have been no agreements to do so. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS