US strikes Iranian rocket launchers on Strait of Hormuz in first military action in weeks

US forces have struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in the first military action against the country in a month. Semi-official news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near Larak Island on the strait. Forces with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait, according to a US official. Last week the US military completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said two Iranian launchers had been struck on the island. Exclusive UAE-funded mercenary 'ran covert operation' against British activist in London Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it ‘gets in the way’ of ending Iran war “US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” they added. In response to the attack, IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said: “This action was a strategic and fatal error by the Trump regime during the economic war; an error that will shift the balance against its designers and entail heavy costs. “The enemy will pay the consequences of this miscalculation in both the economic and military arenas. The terrorist enemy's aggression on Lark Island, along with punishing the aggressor, will be responded to. ” On Monday, August 24, the US announced a new round of sanctions aimed at Iran and warned every country that does business with Tehran will face retaliation from Washington if it does not sever those financial ties. Donald Trump pledged last week to unleash an “economic D-Day” against Tehran as the administration struggles to find an off-ramp after nearly six months of war in the Middle East. But the announcement Monday provided little detail, and did not name which countries could face secondary sanctions. Subscribe for free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are Iran’s largest trade partners. The UAE announced last week it was suspending all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice. Despite the sheer military power of the US, Iran has managed to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz, bringing traffic in the vital waterway to a near halt, damaging the world economy and heaping pressure on President Trump ahead of the midterm elections. Trump has repeatedly declared that the “Strait of Hormuz is open,” saying 24 vessels passed through last week, but that’s a fraction of the roughly 130 vessels that transited daily before the war began. Earlier on Sunday, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy said commercial traffic through the strait remained at “reduced levels.” A fifth of the world’s traded oil transited through the strait before the conflict. Iran is now refusing to fully reopen it unless it can charge ships. Iran and Oman, which is on the opposite side of the strait, are reportedly in the final stages of agreeing on a plan for joint management of the waterway. Reporting History sees journalists join News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby to revisit their remarkable on-the-day reports of the defining events of the modern age. Listen to the episodes below...