Iran fires retaliatory strikes following US attacks on Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz

By Malek Fouda Published on 31/08/2026 - 5:52 GMT+2•Updated 5:55 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp The US attacks on Iran are the first in around a month as the Trump administration had shifted its war objective to inflict maximum economic pain on Tehran. Washington says the strikes were aimed at preventing Iranian forces from disrupting global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said on Monday that it has launched strikes targeting US military positions in Jordan in retaliation for Washington’s first strikes on its territory in a month, marking a fresh flare-up in the six-month war. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Tehran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps said they struck two US military air bases with ballistic missiles in Washington-allied Jordan, causing "heavy damage." The Jordanian army, shortly after Iran’s announcement, said that it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin. The strikes came after the United States revealed on Sunday that it had attacked Iranian rocket launchers on a Larak, a small island in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington said its attacks were aimed at preventing Iran from launching more sea mines into the strait, days after it announced it had completed clearing explosives from the strategic waterway. "US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC (Iran's Revolutionary Guards') minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz," the US Central Command wrote in a post on X. The Guards said the US strikes resulted in "casualties" and that their subsequent attack on Jordan was "in response to the US-Zionist aerial aggression." The exchange of fire came shortly after the US-Iran war hit the six-month mark, and at a time when hostilities had been subsiding. In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump and his administration prioritised "economic warfare" over military strikes on Iran amid intense domestic and international pressure to end the military campaign, initially slated to be short-lived, but which has extended to months with no end in near sight. Tehran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic sea lane through which 20% of the world's oil passed before the United States and Israel launched the war’s opening salvo on 28 February. A government supporter holds portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a street celebration in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, 30 August, 2026 Vahid Salemi/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved "Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping routes," said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Central Command. "US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway," he said. Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war. While a ceasefire was agreed in April and a memorandum of understanding towards a final peace deal was signed in June, no agreement has been forthcoming, and Washington has since declared "economic warfare" against Tehran. A US naval counterblockade of Iranian ports is squeezing petrol supplies in Iran during a shortfall in domestic production, as the US ramps up the pressure. Crowds fill a street during celebrations marking Prophet Muhammad's birthday in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, 30 August, 2026 Vahid Salemi/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved The April ceasefire put an end to the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, have dimmed the prospects of a final peace agreement. The last US strike on Iran prior to Sunday's came on 29 July in response to "an attempted surprise attack on US forces" in the region, the US military said. Earlier in July, CENTCOM attacked Iran for 13 consecutive nights. Throughout the war, Iran has fought back by striking US facilities and allies in the Gulf region, hitting targets in Qatar, the United Arabi Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, among others, dragging the wider region into conflict. Tehran’s closure of the strategic waterway has inflicted significant economic pain around the world in the form of logistical and supply chain crises, price hikes and shortages of fertiliser and energy. Oil prices rose after news of the renewed US strikes on Iran. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed back above the symbolic $90 per barrel threshold, for the first time in a month. During the peak of the fighting, oil prices surpassed $120 per barrel for the first time in decades. 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