US strikes Iran for first time in a month

The US carried out strikes on Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, marking the first US military action against Iran in a month. According to a US official, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz when the US forces struck. Iranian media reported explosions near Larak Island, and the IRGC said several fighters and civilians had been killed or wounded.

The strike came days after the administration of US President Donald Trump said it would focus on increasing economic pressure on Tehran rather than military action. Trump had said last week that mines had been cleared from international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Iran that any vessel trying to lay new mines would be destroyed.

The last known US strikes on Iran took place in late July, and fighting had largely stalled since then, with Washington shifting its focus towards economic pressure and threatening to impose sanctions on countries that continue to do business with Tehran, according to The National UAE and The National Business.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Reuters Business via SCMP, South China Morning Post, The National UAE, The National Business — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.