US forces struck two rocket launchers on Iran's Larak Island on August 30, marking the first direct American attack on Iranian territory since late July, after US Central Command said IRGC forces were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying naval mines into the Strait of Hormuz [4][8]. The IRGC reported casualties and vowed retaliation, later announcing a combined missile and drone attack on two US bases in Jordan [5][36]. The exchange broke a month-long lull in direct US-Iran combat in the sixth month of a war that has closed one of the world's most critical shipping routes.
CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins described the strike as a "limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz," and said US forces remain prepared to protect commercial shipping [4][9]. An unnamed US official told Axios that IRGC forces "were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz" [6][14]. CENTCOM stated that Iran "created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce" [8][24].
The IRGC rejected the justification, calling the strike an "act of aggression" — and in some statements attributing it to "US-Israeli" or "US-Zionist" forces — aimed at resolving US domestic problems and diminished credibility rather than a response to any genuine mine threat [8][12][6][9]. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi called the attack a "strategic and fatal mistake by the Trump regime" and said the US would pay economically and militarily [5][32]. The IRGC reported the "martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots" [16][29], while BBC News reported the attack killed two and injured two others [5].
Iran's retaliation targeted the King Hussein and Al-Azraq airbases in Jordan with ballistic missiles and drones, with the IRGC stating it had "destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites" [36][30]. The IRGC warned that "every shot will be met with a more crushing response" [31]. Jordan's armed forces stated that air defense systems intercepted eight missiles that breached the kingdom's airspace, with no injuries reported at either base [5][36]. An unnamed US official told Fox News there was no significant damage and almost all incoming missiles were intercepted [24][26]. A BBC Arabic investigation using satellite imagery found greater damage at US-linked sites than CENTCOM has acknowledged, with analyst Farzin Nadimi of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy noting that Iranian strikes have become "more effective and wider" against American targets [43].
President Donald Trump declared on social media that the "Strait of Hormuz is open" and that all mines had been detonated or removed, posting apparent AI-generated videos showing Iranian oil infrastructure exploding, including one captioned "Kharg Island being blown to smithereens" [5][13][29]. Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi called Trump's mine-removal claims "propaganda," and the IRGC navy stated that US assertions the strait is open are "an obvious lie," reiterating that it remains closed to ships without Iranian permission [5][7][38]. CENTCOM reported that as of August 30, its forces had redirected 83 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two to enforce the blockade [8]. International Maritime Organization secretary general Arsenio Dominguez stated that approximately 400 ships carrying about 6,000 seafarers remain unable to safely leave the Gulf [46].
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a campaign of weekly secondary sanctions targeting banks and trade partners, stating: "We're starting with the banks, and we're telling the banks it's not okay to have Iranian money and to aid the regime" [7][9]. Bessent described the measures as potentially amounting to "financial violence if we have to" [13]. Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that imports and exports have fallen 25 to 35 percent due to sanctions and the blockade, and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on the government to address inflation, unemployment, and market pressures [33][38]. Pezeshkian stated that "the United States will not obtain anything with these measures" [30], and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "pressure doesn't work" [27].
A Washington Post report cited by Der Spiegel and CGTN said senior US military leaders advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening the military's ability to confront threats elsewhere [6][10][21]. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed the report as poorly researched and full of inaccuracies, calling the leak of classified assessments a crime [10]. Analyst Trita Parsi assessed that Trump appears to prefer maintaining a lower-intensity conflict without major diplomatic events or military escalation until the midterm elections [12][21]. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated that "six months later, not a single objective has been achieved" and that Trump has weakened the US position in the Middle East and the world [9][23].
Brent crude rose above $90 a barrel following the strikes [12][34]. The European Union is the region most affected by increased fossil fuel import costs due to the Hormuz crisis, according to analysis cited by Touteleurope [53]. BBC Swahili reported fuel shortages and price increases across African countries, with leaders from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Cape Verde responding with emergency measures [52]. Houthi forces announced simultaneous strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu [43].
Hundreds of Jordanian political figures and activists signed an open letter demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces, with activist Sufian Al-Tal stating that US presence endangers Jordanian lives [44]. Qatar's prime minister pressed Iran during a meeting in Tehran on restoring pre-war shipping conditions through the strait [38], while a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated that Beijing "opposes illegal, unilateral sanctions" [27]. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Putin will meet Pezeshkian at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on September 1 [47][20].
The conflict entered its sixth month with the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to commercial traffic, oil prices above $90 a barrel, and no diplomatic breakthrough announced. Iran's leadership has vowed to maintain control over the strait while acknowledging severe economic damage, and the US continues its blockade enforcement and sanctions campaign [33][8]. The Kremlin announced the Putin-Pezeshkian summit for September 1 [47].