United States forces have struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to launch retaliatory strikes on airbases in Jordan used by American troops. The exchange marks the first such direct military confrontation between the two countries in a month.
A US official confirmed the strike on Sunday, saying American forces had targeted the launchers after observing Revolutionary Guard personnel preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, and the US said the action was taken to prevent the mining of shipping lanes.
Iran responded within hours by striking airbases in Jordan that host US forces. The retaliatory attack raises concerns about a broader regional escalation, with Jordan now drawn into the confrontation as a staging ground for American military operations.
The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the region, where the US has maintained a naval and air presence to safeguard commercial shipping. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world's crude oil passes, has been a flashpoint for years, with Iran periodically threatening to disrupt traffic there in response to international pressure.
No immediate casualty figures were released by either side. US officials said the operation on Larak Island was limited in scope and intended to neutralise an imminent threat to maritime navigation. The island, located near the entrance to the strait, has been used by Iranian forces for staging military equipment.
The Jordanian government has not yet issued a formal statement on the strikes against airbases on its territory. The kingdom has hosted US forces as part of broader regional security arrangements, and any attack on its soil is likely to test its diplomatic balancing act between Washington and Tehran.
The exchange follows a month of relative calm in the region, during which neither side had directly engaged the other. The latest escalation suggests that the underlying tensions over shipping security and military presence in the Gulf remain unresolved.
Analysts will be watching for further moves from both capitals. The US has repeatedly warned that it will defend freedom of navigation in the strait, while Iran has framed its military activities there as a response to what it calls provocations by foreign forces. The situation remains fluid, and further strikes cannot be ruled out.
