US attacks Iran in first action in weeks after IRGC ‘preparing’ to fire at Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, DC: After days of relying on economic pressure, the US has once again flexed its military muscle, breaking a week-long lull with a strike on Iran’s Larak Island.

US officials now claim that the attack was precautionary after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were seen preparing to fire toward the Strait of Hormuz.

US strikes Iran’s Larak Island

According to CNN, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said the US strike on Sunday hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island after American forces spotted Iranian troops preparing to fire mine-carrying rockets into the Strait of Hormuz.

The military took “limited, precise action” against Iran’s “minelaying forces posing an imminent threat” in the critical waterway, CENTCOM later said in a post on X.

“Iran created the threat, and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce.”

Residents reported hearing an explosion near Larak Island, a small landmass off Iran’s southern coast near Bandar Abbas, while state media reported casualties among Iranian forces and civilians.

This was the first US strike in Iran since the end of July. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told foreign counterparts that the US would avoid striking Iran "for the time being.”

Notably, the attack came after CENTCOM had completed clearing sea mines from the waterway’s international shipping routes last week.

“Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed,” President Donald Trump announced.

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

IRGC calls US strike an act of desperation

The IRGC spokesperson claimed the attack was born out of "desperation" and vowed to "take retribution" against the US for striking Larak Island.

The IRGC said the US attack killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers and civilians but did not provide an exact casualty figure. "This action will be met with a response from the sons of Islamic Iran, and the US will face punishment," IRIB reported.

The attack was "a strategic and fatal error by the Trump administration," the IRGC spokesperson said in a statement on X/Twitter. It "will shift the balance against its designers and entail heavy costs."

"The enemy [US] will pay the consequences of this miscalculation in both the economic and military arenas," the post added. IRIB added that the attack on Larak Island "was carried out in two waves in quick succession."