The Strait of Hormuz has become the focus of a sharp US-Iran escalation after US Central Command said it carried out a “limited and precise” strike against Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mine-laying units. CENTCOM said the action was taken because the units posed an imminent threat to civilian mariners, commercial shipping and freedom of navigation.
US officials cited by Axios and Al Jazeera said the US targeted two Iranian rocket launch sites on Larak Island. The sites were reportedly preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait.
Iran claims missile retaliation against US bases
Iranian media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles at two US airbases in Jordan. The IRGC said the attacks destroyed technical and maintenance infrastructure and damaged fighter positions.
The IRGC also warned that what it described as enemy aggression and crimes would not weaken Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. It said each hostile launch would be met with an increasingly strong response.
Fox News, citing a US official, reported that the Iranian attacks on US forces in Jordan had caused no major damage so far, with nearly all incoming missiles intercepted.
Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East Program at George Washington University, said the Larak Island strike was intended to reduce Iran’s ability to monitor and surveil vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, rather than simply targeting ships. He said US claims that Iran was preparing to lay sea mines were credible and described the strike as part of a pattern of US targeting along Iran’s southern coast since July.
Azodi also said Iran’s war plans had been prepared in advance and may have been awaiting an opportunity to strike Jordan. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman claim consensus on joint administration of the Strait of Hormuz, while the IRGC maintains that Iran has the right to sole administration of the strategic waterway.
The escalation also affected oil markets. Brent crude rose to $90 per barrel, up 2.31% intraday.
