U.S. strikes Iranian launchers near Strait of Hormuz
U.S. forces hit Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran reporting deaths and injuries among its forces.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
U.S. strikes Iran resumed Sunday with an attack on Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Associated Press report carried by NBC News. The action was the first U.S. military operation in a month, an unnamed U.S. official told the AP.
The official said forces from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had been seen preparing to fire rockets with sea mines into the strait. NBC News separately reported that a U.S. official said American forces struck two Iranian launchers that were preparing to deploy sea mines there.
The AP and NBC reports attribute the account of the preparations to U.S. officials. Semiofficial Iranian news outlets reported explosions near Larak Island, which is on the strait, according to the AP report.
What did the U.S. strike near the Strait of Hormuz?
The reported targets were Iranian rocket launchers. One U.S. official told the AP that Revolutionary Guard forces were preparing rockets and sea mines for use in the Strait of Hormuz; NBC’s account specified two launchers.
The U.S. military had finished clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes the previous week, the AP reported. No weapon system, damage assessment or casualty total from the U.S. action was provided in the reports.
Iran reports casualties and threatens response
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said several of its fighters and other compatriots were killed or injured in the attack, in a statement carried by Iranian state television, according to the AP. The statement said the attack would bring punishment for what it called the aggressor.
The report did not provide a number of those killed or hurt. It also did not include a response from U.S. military officials beyond the account given by the anonymous official.
How long had U.S. military action been paused?
The AP described Sunday’s operation as the first U.S. military action in a month. NBC’s brief video report called it the first attacks of the Iran war in weeks. Both descriptions point to a break in reported U.S. strikes before Aug. 30.
Earlier in July, CBS News reported that the United States had paused strikes after 13 consecutive nights of bombing, marking the first night in two weeks without a newly announced U.S. airstrike.
For broader context, the Council on Foreign Relations, in a tracker updated Aug. 26, said a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire and a June memorandum of understanding had stopped large-scale fighting. The tracker said the sides had later exchanged strikes over alleged violations, while disputes involving Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and the Strait of Hormuz remained unresolved.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.