“Earlier today, US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island,” a US Central Command spokesman said, adding that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz”.
In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has prioritised “economic warfare” over military strikes on Iran.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic sea lane through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the US and Israel started hostilities with airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said. “US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway.”
Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war to no avail.
While a ceasefire was agreed to 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 counter-blockade of Iranian ports is squeezing petrol supplies in Iran amid a shortfall of domestic production, as the US ramps up pressure on its foe.
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 before today came at the end of 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 Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
Its closure of the strait has caused pain around the world in the form of price hikes and shortages of fertiliser and energy.
Oil prices rose after news of the US strikes on Iran. A barrel of North Sea Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed back above the symbolic US$90 ($152) threshold to US$90.31. Its US counterpart, West Texas Intermediate, rose to US$85.41.
The Iran war is deeply unpopular with the US public, with the Midterm elections looming in November that could overturn Republican control of Congress.
In a statement last week, US Senator Jack Reed criticised Trump over the war.
“Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved,” Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said.
“Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly.”
– AFP