Iran and US trade strikes for first time in a month

The United States and Iran have exchanged air strikes, reigniting hostilities after a month without attacks. American forces struck Iran first, attacking Larak Island after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official. Most commented 1 I tried the new £419 Dyson toothbrush. Here’s what happened Health & Fitness 376 comments 2 Joshua Kushner appoints Musk lawyer to battle Uefa World Cup legal case World Cup 196 comments 3 UK borrowing costs hit an 18-year high in global bond sell-off Economics 76 comments 4 Turks and Caicos healthcare to be withdrawn in cash dispute Healthcare 48 comments 5 Pakistan selector quits after seven players sent home and head coach fired Cricket 111 comments Tehran said it retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at two US bases in Jordan, the King Hussein and al-Azraq bases. The IRGC said it targeted “technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities and enemy fighter jet positions”. Top stories 1 Top five 2027 cruise and tour packages to book with Times Holidays Promoted content In a post on Truth Social on Monday morning, Trump said that Iran is “officially a Failed Nation” and should be tried for war crimes against humanity. President Trump on Fox News on Sunday While the extent of the damage caused to the bases was not immediately clear, Jordan’s armed forces intercepted eight missiles, according to state media. Advertisement On Monday, Iran said it targeted US military personnel at an air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has largely been spared of Iranian attacks in recent weeks. Top stories 1 Marine Le Pen pledges vote on banning Muslim headscarves in public Europe 2 Hamas official captured after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Israel-Hamas war 3 UK borrowing costs hit an 18-year high in global bond sell-off Economics Tehran “targeted the areas where US helicopters and personnel are stationed at al-Minhad base in the UAE, using dozens of attack drones”, the army said, state media reported. Iran’s foreign ministry said it would “not hesitate to exercise the inherent right of legitimate defence and will respond decisively to any military aggression”. US newsletter A balanced, fair and fact-checked take on global news and culture for our US readers. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the US newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. US newsletter Explore our newsletters The UAE’s defence ministry later denied that the base in Dubai had been attacked. US Central Command said it “took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat”. It wrote on X: “Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping and the free flow of global commerce.” Tehran claimed Iranian soldiers had been killed and injured in the US strikes, saying there had been “martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots”. Advertisement Sunday’s strikes were the first since July 29, marking a re-escalation of fighting between the two countries. It is also two weeks since the expiration of a memorandum of understanding, which gave the two sides a 60-day deadline to reach a more substantial peace deal. The Strait of Hormuz as seen from Iran Ali Saeedi/Getty Images Last week President Trump claimed all the mines in the strait had been cleared and warned Iran that any ship or boat placing mines would be destroyed. “There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect,” he wrote on Truth Social. The IRGC accused the US of spreading an “obvious lie” by claiming it was in control of the critical waterway. It said Iran would block all vessels trying to transit the strait without first co-ordinating with Tehran. Trump did not immediately comment on the strikes on Larak Island, but later shared on social media what appeared to be an AI-generated video of the strategically important Kharg Island “being blown to smithereens”. On Monday, Trump called for Iran’s leaders to be tried for crimes against humanity in a post on Truth Social. Advertisement “Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD! They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country. The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of “BULLSHIT.” Thank you for your attention to this matter!” American forces aboard USS George Washington US CENTCOM Earlier this month the Trump administration launched Operation Economic Outcast , a wave of economic sanctions intended to squeeze Tehran. Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, demanded all nations sever trading ties with Iran, although he did not give a timeline or specify if there would be any consequences for Tehran’s biggest economic partner, China. On Sunday, Bessent pledged to announce weekly new secondary sanctions. After his department said it would strip US financial access from a major Egyptian bank’s branches in the UAE, he told Reuters: “You’re going to see a lot more of these [secondary sanctions] every week. 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.” He said he disagreed the pressure campaign would be unsuccessful without imposing secondary sanctions on China. Why Trump is pushing the UAE to cut off Iran’s dirty money Advertisement Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, had assured Washington’s allies that the US was pivoting towards sanctions rather than major combat operations, but he did not rule out strikes should Iran attack first. The decision coincided with warnings over America’s diminishing munitions stockpiles. Military leaders have warned Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war, that carrying out a protracted large-scale operation against Tehran is unsustainable, sources told The Washington Post on Sunday . Continued fighting risks undermining America’s ability to deal with threats across the world and domestically, the leaders warned. The heads of the army, navy, air force and the four-star commanders overseeing operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America, raised their concerns in the August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, which outlines global military availability, the newspaper reported. Roughly 50,000 US troops and personnel are deployed and on alert in the Middle East region. A classified document is believed to have ordered some of the troops to remain in the region until September, and others into 2027. The leaders allegedly responded with a “non-concur”, which means they disagree with the order to extend the forces but will comply. President Trump with the secretary of war, Pete Hegseth Aaron Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images Damage to US military bases has received less attention than the depletion of munitions, but the two issues are undoubtedly linked, as bases rely on missile defence systems to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones. Advertisement The damage to US bases in the Gulf region is estimated at between $4 billion and $9 billion, depending on the decisions taken on how and whether to rebuild them. Early on in the conflict, Iran incapacitated the strategically vital Naval Support Activity Bahrain, an installation less than 200 miles from Iran, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. An anti-US propaganda billboard in Tehran Vahid Salemi/AP Trump has repeatedly insisted that the “Strait of Hormuz is open”, saying 24 vessels passed through last week, but that number is a fraction of the roughly 130 vessels that passed through the waterway daily before the war began. The US has continued with its naval blockade of Iranian ports and claimed to have redirected 83 commercial vessels as of Sunday. A stalemate has ensued, as Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the waterway — through which around a fifth of the world’s oil flowed before the war broke out. With the November midterm elections on the horizon, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Trump’s approval rating had fallen to 33 per cent, and just 31 per cent of Americans approved of the conflict. Petrol prices in the US are roughly $1 a gallon higher compared with a year ago, according to Reuters.