U.S. forces strike Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in first military action in weeks

WASHINGTON — U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, marking the first American military action against Iran in over a month, a U.S. official said [citation:1][citation:2]. The attack targeted launchers operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway [citation:2][citation:5]. The U.S. had recently completed clearing mines from the strait's international shipping lanes [citation:1]. Iran's IRGC confirmed the attack, stating it killed and wounded several soldiers and civilians, and vowed retaliation, saying the "aggressor will be punished" [citation:1][citation:9]. The strike breaks a period of relative calm in the six-month conflict and comes as the Trump administration pivots to economic pressure through secondary sanctions on Iran [citation:1][citation:9]. Iranian officials have warned of a "devastating" response [citation:4].