U.S. President Donald Trump extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal, saying it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”
The comments came after the U.S. and Iran traded attacks over the weekend, as hostilities flared anew between the two countries.
American forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after the military said Revolutionary Guard forces were preparing rockets carrying sea mines for launch into the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW.
“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.
Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July, according to The Associated Press. The war has dragged on for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and it has responded with attacks on American military bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.
The IRGC said the combined missile and drone operation targeted the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases, according to media reports.
The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.
Larak, a small Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping-control point for Tehran, used by the Revolutionary Guards to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade against Iranian ports, intending to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway. Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane close to its coast.
Another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, using the southern lane along the Omani coast, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The agency reported no casualties, while advising vessels to navigate the Strait with caution.
