US strikes Iranian launchers near Hormuz
The US military struck two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were seen preparing to fire towards the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to a US official who spoke to The Jerusalem Post. The official said the strike marked the first US attack on Iran in several weeks. Axios reported the rockets were armed with sea mines. IRGC-run media outlet Fars News reported that witnesses in the area heard explosions.
Iran retaliates against US forces in Jordan
Iran began attacking US forces in Jordan on Sunday after American forces struck the launchers, a US source told Fox News' Trey Yingst. The source said no significant impacts had been reported so far and that nearly all incoming missiles had been intercepted. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on two US air bases in Jordan in response to the US strike on Larak Island. Citing a statement carried by Tasnim News, Iran International reported the IRGC said it targeted technical and maintenance infrastructure, as well as areas where fighter jets were stationed, claiming to have inflicted "heavy damage." Reuters reported that Iranian media said the targets were King Hussein Air Base and Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
Oil markets react
Oil prices rose more than 2% in early Monday trading in Singapore, with Brent crude climbing above $90 a barrel. Brent crude futures climbed 22, or 52%, to 32 a barrel as of 2202 GMT, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude rose 01, or 41%, to 41 a barrel, Reuters reported.
Broader context
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday that its forces have redirected 83 ships and disabled three others while enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. The UKMTO confirmed Sunday that it received a delayed report of an incident involving a tanker struck by an 'unknown projectile' in the Strait of Hormuz off the Omani coastline, 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman. UKMTO said no casualties or environmental impact had been reported and that investigations were underway.
Iranian official Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security commission, said in a post on X that 'Retesting our will only makes the cost of your humiliating defeats even heavier.' IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi called the attack a 'strategic and fatal mistake' by Washington in its economic war, according to Iran International.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed the US strike on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian fighters and civilians, though they did not provide a precise casualty toll, Reuters reported. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the IRGC said in a statement that the 'terrorist enemy's aggression on Larak Island will be met with punishment for the aggressor.'
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement marking Islamic Unity Week on Sunday, calling on Islamic countries across the Middle East to confront the 'real enemy.' He wrote: 'My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it.'
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Saturday, according to Al Jazeera, that Israel will strike Iran again if Tehran attempts to rebuild its nuclear or ballistic missile programs, even if the Islamic Republic reaches a new agreement with the United States. Israeli intelligence assesses that joint US-Israeli strikes set Tehran's nuclear program back by two to four years.
Naval presence and statements
The aircraft carrier the USS George Washington has arrived in the Arabian Sea near the vital Strait of Hormuz and close to Iran, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln. The George Washington, a Nimitz-class carrier, is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5, and is reported to be accompanied by several warships, including the guided missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and the guided missile destroyer USS Shoup. Capt. Nicholas DeLeo, the ship's Commanding Officer, told Fox News Digital: 'Morale aboard USS George Washington remains high among our sailors.' Rear Adm. Jeff Heames, Commander of Carrier Strike Group Five, told Fox News Digital:'The teams aboard USS George Washington and Carrier Strike Group Five are ready, determined, and resourced for sustained operations.' Former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel ) recently told Fox News' America Reports about the George Washington's expected mission:'Being able to continue to have credible military capability in the Middle East is really important, so the arrival of the George Washington is I think a good example of that.' CENTCOM released an image of a sailor directing an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter onto the flight deck of the USS Delbert D. Black as the guided-missile destroyer operated in the Arabian Sea.