US strikes Iranian launchers in first action in weeks, triggering retaliation
US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack, Iran later said it had launched missiles at US sites in Jordan.
Forces with the Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait, according to Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The US military last week completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes.
Semi-official news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near Larak island on the strait. The Guard in a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster noted “the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots”.
Later, Iranian state television showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired by Iran at US bases in Jordan in response to the American strikes. Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight missiles that penetrated the country’s airspace early Monday in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates’ air force later intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters, the Defence Ministry said.
US military officials disputed Iran’s claim that the latest American strikes were an act of aggression, calling them a “limited, precise action” against what they said were minelaying forces.