A U.S. official said Sunday (August 30) that U.S. forces struck an Iranian rocket launch site in the Strait of Hormuz; this was the first military operation by U.S. forces in a month.
Iranian semi-official media reported that explosions were heard near Larak Island in the strait.
The Associated Press quoted the U.S. official as saying that Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were observed preparing to launch rockets into the strait and lay mines. The official requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the military operation.
Iranian state television cited a statement from the Revolutionary Guard Corps stating that the U.S. military's attack on Larak Island on Sunday resulted in casualties among Iranian soldiers and civilians. The statement said the attack would "result in punishment for the aggressors."
The Revolutionary Guard did not provide specific casualty figures.
Last Thursday (August 27), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that U.S. forces had successfully cleared mines from the international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and declared the waterway open again.
U.S. Navy Admiral Brad Cooper said in a video briefing released by CENTCOM: "We have successfully cleared the mines that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran laid in the international shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz several months ago. Thanks to the outstanding work of U.S. forces, the internationally recognized shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz are no longer threatened by Iranian mines."
Cooper said that approximately 50,000 U.S. military personnel are currently carrying out related missions in the Middle East. Over the past few months, the United States has deployed Navy divers, Navy SEALs, and airpower from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps to clear the waterway "meticulously and quietly." Over the past few months, the U.S. military has assisted more than 1,500 ships in passing through the Strait of Hormuz, transporting over 750 million barrels of oil.
He also said that since the U.S. reinstated its maritime blockade against Iran in mid-July, Iran's oil exports have been zero. Without U.S. permission, no vessel is allowed to enter or leave Iranian ports; only ships carrying humanitarian cargo are permitted to pass.
Cooper also stated that since the blockade was reinstated, the U.S. military has deployed more than 20 warships and hundreds of aircraft, successfully forcing 75 vessels attempting to breach the blockade to turn back and rendering three vessels that refused to comply with orders inoperable.
