US forces strike two Iranian launchers on Iran’s Larak island, US official says

US forces have carried out strikes on two Iranian launchers located on Larak island, according to a US official. This marks the first known American strikes on Iran since late July. The US official stated that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were seen preparing to launch rockets containing sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed that the attack resulted in casualties among their soldiers and citizens, warning of a "response and punishment" from Tehran. Iran's state media quoted a spokesman from the Revolutionary Guards, saying that the US will face consequences both economically and militarily. The semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that the US conducted a drone strike on the island.

President Donald Trump previously announced that all mines had been removed from the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran warned that any ship or boat placing new mines would be destroyed. The last known US strikes on Iran took place in late July, as the war appears to have reached a stalemate with the US threatening costly sanctions on countries supporting Iran.

The Iran conflict has now lasted for six months, with attacks from the US and Israel on Iran and Israel attacking Lebanon, resulting in thousands of casualties and millions displaced. Eighteen US service members have lost their lives in the conflict, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which once allowed about one-fifth of the world's oil to pass, remains in place.