Washington, August 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first known American attack on an Iranian target since late July, according to US Central Command.
CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins said the strikes were carried out on Sunday after Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel were observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strategically important waterway.
“Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz,” Hawkins said, adding that US forces were monitoring the area and remained prepared to protect the free flow of commerce.
CNN, citing a US official, also reported that two Iranian launchers were hit after the US military detected preparations to deploy mines into the Strait. The official said US Central Command had completed clearing sea mines from international shipping routes in the waterway the previous week.
Iran’s IRGC, however, said military personnel and civilians were killed or wounded in what it described as a “US-Israeli” attack on Larak Island in Hormozgan province. In a statement carried by its official news outlet Sepah News, the force warned that the attack would bring “punishment for the aggressor”.
Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing unofficial reports, said at least two people were killed and two others injured in what it described as a US drone strike. Fars news agency also reported that an explosion was heard on the island on Sunday night, citing local sources.
Larak is a small Iranian island off the coast of Bandar Abbas, east of Qeshm Island and south of Hormuz Island.
The strike came after US President Donald Trump warned Tehran against laying new mines in the Strait following the American operation to clear the waterway’s main shipping route.
“There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, warning that any vessel involved in placing new mines would be “immediately and systematically destroyed”.
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