Washington, Aug 31. (dpa/GNA) – The US military has launched attacks on Iran for the first time since late July, targeting rocket launchers on Larak Island, US media outlets reported on Sunday, citing officials.
According to broadcaster CBS News, the official said the US military struck two launchers after forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were seen preparing to fire “rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iranian news agency Fars, citing local residents, reported that an explosion had been heard in the area of Larak Island.
In a statement shared by Fars, the IRGC said the US had made “a strategic and fatal mistake.” Several people had been killed and wounded in the attack, the IRGC added.
Last week, US forces reportedly completed clearing naval mines in the strait, a key waterway for the global oil and gas trade, that has been largely blockaded by Iran since the beginning of the conflict in February.
Efforts to secure a peace deal have reached an impasse. Key points of contention remain unresolved, including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran is demanding concessions from Washington, that would give it a greater role in the strait.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is promising to force the country into submission through what he has declared as “economic warfare.”
Washington has announced plans for new sanctions aimed at economically isolating Iran, including measures targeting Tehran’s trading partners.
GNA