The US military began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran on Tuesday, saying the action followed attempted attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US service members in the region.US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes began at 1600 GMT.“The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.The latest strikes come amid a renewed escalation between Washington and Tehran, with the two sides trading attacks after weeks without known direct US strikes on Iran.The US military on Monday carried out what CENTCOM described as “limited, precise action” against two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the launchers were being prepared to “launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz”.Iran’s IRGC said the US attack on Larak Island killed two people and wounded two others, and vowed “response and punishment”.Iran subsequently said it had targeted US military bases in Jordan with ballistic missiles. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles early Monday.Iranian state television also reported that Iranian forces had targeted an air base in the United Arab Emirates with drones. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence denied the report as “unfounded”, while confirming that it had shot down a drone.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a statement quoted by state television, said: “We are not seeking war, but we will deliver a decisive response to the aggressors.”The latest escalation centres on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route between Iran and Gulf states. The waterway is about 33 km wide at its narrowest point and has become a major flashpoint since the conflict began.The strait previously carried around 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war. Its effective closure since the conflict began in February has caused significant fluctuations in global oil prices.Iran has demanded that tanker traffic pass near Larak Island for checks and has reportedly required vessels to pay $2 million to cross.Iran’s Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, reported that the Larak Island attack was carried out by drones.Following the US strike, Iranian media reported that the IRGC had attacked the King Hussein and al-Azraq military bases in Jordan with ballistic missiles in retaliation.Iran’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemned the American military aggression on Larak”, describing the strikes against bases in Jordan as “legitimate defence”.US President Donald Trump later told Fox News that the US would “hit them hard” in response.CENTCOM also rejected an earlier IRGC claim that a supertanker had struck sea mines and caught fire while attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz through a route not authorised by Iran.Tasnim published an image purportedly showing a vessel on fire but did not identify the tanker or provide details about when the photograph was taken. The claim could not be independently verified.“This is yet another IRGC attempt to intimidate regional commercial shipping through disinformation,” CENTCOM said.Trump has also claimed that mines placed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz had been detonated or removed, warning that any vessel deploying new mines would be destroyed. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed the claim as a “propaganda” deception.The confrontation comes as Washington continues to increase economic pressure on Tehran. The US announced a fresh sanctions campaign on August 24 aimed at further isolating Iran and expanding secondary sanctions against countries and entities supporting it.The US is also maintaining a naval blockade of Iran. CENTCOM said on Saturday that its forces had disabled three vessels, boarded two and redirected 82 as part of the blockade.The latest US strikes mark the first known American attack on Iran since President Trump paused a renewed military campaign in late July, further raising tensions around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
