US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official.
The August 30 strike, first reported by Axios journalist Barak Ravid and subsequently reported by several other outlets, marks the first reported US attack inside Iran in several weeks and comes amid renewed tensions over Iranian attempts to restrict navigation through one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
US Official: Launchers Were Preparing Sea Mine Rockets
“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island,” the US official said, according to reports carrying the account.
The official said IRGC forces “were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz.”
The account was reported by Axios and subsequently appeared in reporting by The Jerusalem Post, Al Jazeera and other regional and international outlets.
Iran has not publicly confirmed the US account. However, Iran’s state linked Fars News Agency reported that an explosion was heard near Larak Island on Sunday, without identifying its cause.
No reliable information was immediately available regarding casualties or the extent of damage to the launchers.
Washington Had Warned Iran Days Earlier
The circumstances of the strike are particularly significant because Washington had publicly warned Tehran only days earlier about attempts to deploy new mines.
President Donald Trump announced a “zero tolerance” policy on August 25, warning that ships or boats placing new mines would be systematically destroyed.
Days later, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces had cleared international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian mines and were closely monitoring the waterway for renewed mine laying activity.
If the US official’s account of Sunday’s incident is accurate, the Larak strike appears to be a direct application of that policy. Iranian forces were detected preparing a weapon capable of introducing mines into the strait, and the launchers were attacked before they could be fired.
Strait of Hormuz Remains a Flashpoint
The strike occurred only hours after a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile approximately 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said no casualties or environmental damage were reported in that incident.
It followed a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the region during August, keeping pressure on shipping through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
Iran, meanwhile, disputes Washington’s claim that normal navigation through the strait has been restored.
The IRGC Navy said in recent days that vessels cannot transit the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian coordination, while Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran was in no hurry to reopen it.
Why Larak Island Matters
Larak Island sits in a strategically important position near the Strait of Hormuz and has previously been linked to Iranian military operations monitoring maritime traffic.
The island has already been targeted during the current conflict.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported a US missile strike on Larak on July 22. An earlier attack reportedly targeted a maritime traffic control facility that Washington described as part of an IRGC surveillance network used to identify vessels.
Sunday’s reported attack therefore fits into a broader US effort to prevent Iran from using infrastructure around Hormuz to threaten international shipping.
What Remains Unconfirmed
The central details of Sunday’s strike still originate from an unnamed US official. CENTCOM had not issued an on record statement confirming the operation at the time of reporting, and no independently verified imagery or battle damage assessment was available.
Iran has also not confirmed that two launchers were hit or that they were carrying sea mine weapons.
What is independently clear is that an explosion was reported near Larak Island, multiple outlets received or carried the US account of the strike, and the operation comes just days after Washington publicly warned that attempts to place new mines in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger an immediate military response.
For now, the strike suggests the United States intends to enforce that warning before Iranian mine laying weapons can reach the water.
