Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz rose again on Sunday when U.S. forces attacked two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. The operation was the first U.S. attack on Iranian territory since the end of July.
A U.S. official said the targeted systems were preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. The official also said that U.S. forces were closely monitoring the area and were ready to protect the flow of commercial traffic through the strategic waterway.
Exchanges over the strategic waterway
The distance between Larak Island and Oman’s Great Quoin Island narrows to about 39 kilometers at the Strait of Hormuz’s narrowest point. The passage, which is critically important for oil shipments, came under renewed focus after the attack.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that some soldiers and civilians were killed and wounded in the attack. The organization announced that it would retaliate. Tasnim published initial information suggesting that the attack may have been carried out by an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Claims about the mines
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously said that all mines in the Strait of Hormuz had been cleared. Trump warned that a “zero tolerance” policy would be applied to any new mine-laying and said Space Force technology was being used to monitor the area with heightened precision.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, argued that no country other than Iran knew the location of the mines in the strategic waterway.
Washington–Tehran tensions
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have remained high since attacks on Iran began at the end of February. Although a memorandum of understanding was signed in June through mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, the United States carried out a two-week bombing campaign in July following disputes over navigational safety and reinstated its naval blockade.
It remains unclear whether the latest operation on Larak Island will be a one-off event or become the start of a new and prolonged bombing campaign.
