US Military Carries Out First Strikes in Iran Since July

The United States has reportedly launched its first attacks in Iran since the end of July, striking two rocket launchers on the Iranian island of Larak.

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I can confirm that U.S. forces attacked two Iranian launch sites on Larak Island early today.

The attacks were reported by Axios, Fox News, CBS News and Al Jazeera. “I can confirm that U.S. forces attacked two Iranian launch sites on Larak Island early today,” said a person close to the U.S. government. The person said the strike was preventive, following observations that Iranian Revolutionary Guard units were preparing to fire rockets carrying naval mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media said several soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded. Tehran said there would be a “reaction and punishment.” The report did not give a precise casualty figure.

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Reaction and punishment.

The attack followed President Donald Trump’s announcement that all mines had been cleared from international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had warned that any ship placing new mines would be destroyed and described the policy as one of “zero tolerance.”

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Zero tolerance.

Trump suspended U.S. attacks on Iran at the end of July, saying negotiations over the strait and Iran’s nuclear program deserved another chance. New U.S. attacks were reported two days later, while further planned strikes were canceled in early August after Trump said Iran and other regional countries had asked him to refrain because the “outlines of an agreement” had emerged. The report said the conflict had since quieted, with little military or diplomatic progress. Trump claimed Iran had been defeated and the strait reopened, but few ships had traveled through it for months. He later announced an economic war against Iran, while the Treasury Department imposed limited sanctions without measures that would substantially cut Tehran’s revenue.

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Outlines of an agreement.