US forces launched their first strikes against Iranian targets in more than a month on Sunday, hitting two rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran later responded with an attack on American forces in Jordan.
The strikes came after members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway, Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed to The Daily Mail.
“US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins added that the US military had last week finished clearing sea mines from international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes. Iranian media, meanwhile, reported hearing explosions near Larak Island in the strait.
In a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster, the IRGC acknowledged “the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots.”
The statement said the attack will ‘result in punishment of the aggressor.’
Shortly following the US strikes, Fox News reported that Iranian forces were attacking American troops stationed in Jordan.
Almost all of the incoming missiles have been intercepted and there have been no significant impacts, Fox said.
US forces made their first strikes at Iran in over a month Sunday, firing at two rocket launches on the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump’s War in Iran passes the six month mark
Semiofficial news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near Larak island on the strait
The fighting comes just days after the Trump administration said it would turn its focus to increasing economic pressure – rather than military action – to try to end its war with Iran.
The shifting strategy centers on threats to punish any country or entity that continues to conduct business with Tehran.
The turn to using sanctions as the cudgel of choice comes as the administration weighs diminished munitions stockpiles after months of war, sparking concerns that the prolonged conflict could undermine US military readiness in other parts of the globe.
As the conflict grinds on, Trump´s talk of finding a quick end to the war also appears to be fading.
He stressed last week that he´s ‘not in a hurry’ to get Iran back to the negotiating table, and he continues making the case that the Islamic Republic´s leadership is on the ropes.
Trump has consistently emphasized that the US and Israel campaign has been devastating for Iran´s navy and air force. Iranian officials have said the country has suffered $270 billion in direct and indirect damage.
Israeli military strikes in the first weeks of the war wiped out much of the theocratic government´s leadership structure.
But Iran has found leverage through its own strikes in the critical Strait of Hormuz where relatively few vessels carrying oil and liquefied natural gas are risking passage.
Sailors conduct night flight operations aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) as the ship sails in regional waters supporting operations in the Middle East
Forces with the Revolutionary Guard Corps were seen preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait
Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the vital energy waterway, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil normally flows, effectively controlling much of the traffic in the strait.
Trump has repeatedly declared that the ‘Strait of Hormuz is open,’ saying 24 vessels passed through last week. But that´s a fraction of the roughly 130 vessels that passed through the vital waterway daily before the war began.
Earlier on Sunday, a multinational coalition overseen by the US Navy said commercial traffic through the strait remained at ‘reduced levels.’
And a monitoring agency run by the British military said an unknown projectile struck a tanker ship on Saturday north of Khasab, Oman, in the strait.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said the ship had been moving inbound and no casualties or environmental impact had been reported.
It cited unspecified military authorities. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the war began on February 28.
The last time the US military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29, when it announced a “heavy wave of strikes” on dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets including coastal surveillance and defense sites.
On August 1, Trump said he would order the military to hold off on new strikes at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.