ramadiansyah
In a significant development, the United States has conducted an airstrike on Iranian launchers located on Larak Island, marking the first known American military action against Iran since late July. The attack came in response to what US officials described as preparations by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to launch rockets containing sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
According to CBS News, a US Central Command spokesman, Cdr Tim Hawkins, stated that the IRGC forces were observed in the act of preparing the rockets. This action by the US follows a pause in military campaigns by President Donald Trump, who halted a renewed military offensive in Iran at the end of July. The US had also recently declared that it had cleared all mines from the strait's main shipping lane.
Larak Island, which is located just offshore from the port of Bandar Abbas and directly sits on the Strait of Hormuz, is a crucial waterway for global shipping. Currently, Iran is requiring tanker traffic to pass by the island for inspection and is reportedly forcing vessels to pay $2m to cross.
Iran's response to the airstrike was swift and harsh. Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for the IRGC, called the attack a "strategic and fatal mistake by the Trump regime" and warned that the "enemy will pay the consequences of this miscalculation in both the economic and military fields." Iran's Tasnim news agency, an affiliate of the IRGC, reported that the airstrike was conducted by drones and that two people were killed and two others injured.
Last week, President Trump declared that all mines placed in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran had been detonated or removed, warning that any ship or boat deploying new mines would be destroyed. This declaration was met with skepticism by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who described it as "propaganda" and a "deception."
Iran has been facing increased economic pressure following the announcement of a new sanctions campaign by Washington on August 24. The campaign is aimed at further isolating Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions against its allies. Despite the severity of these sanctions, Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the campaign as a continuation of previous US economic measures.
The US and Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iran to retaliate by attacking Israeli targets, US bases, and allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to marine traffic. Since the beginning of this conflict, approximately 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas has passed through the strait.
This latest airstrike by the US marks a continuation of a tense stand-off between Washington and Tehran. As the situation unfolds, the implications for global oil markets and regional stability remain uncertain.
Comments (0)