US Forces Decimate Iranian Launchers, Stop IRGC’s Attempted Retaking of Hormuz

Military action returned to the Persian Gulf Sunday as American forces attacked Iranian rocket launchers.

“I can confirm that earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces ​were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait ​of Hormuz,” a U.S. official said, according to Reuters.

The attack was the first from the United States since late July.

Last week, U.S. Central Command cleared mines from the strait’s international shipping routes, according to Fox News.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the U.S. strike killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers and civilians and said in a statement that the “terrorist enemy’s aggression on Larak Island will be met with punishment for the aggressor.”

“The American-Zionist adversary, once more acting out of frustration over its domestic challenges and waning influence in the region, aims to resurrect its malevolent presence and sway public perception,” the statement read.

The Guardian reported that what appeared to be a retaliatory strike on U.S. forces in Jordan failed, with all missiles intercepted.

As noted by CNN, last week, President Donald Trump said that “Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed.”

Without control of the Strait, and in the face of severe economic sanctions spearheaded by the U.S., the Iranian economy is struggling, per Fox News.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei admitted as much this weekend.