US strikes Iranian missile sites on Larak Island in Strait of Hormuz

US forces on Sunday struck two missile launch sites on Iran’s Larak Island, marking the first known American airstrikes on Iranian territory since late July. The attack was followed by an Iranian response, with eight ballistic missiles launched at Jordan, all of which were successfully intercepted.

About Larak Island

Larak Island is a small Iranian island located in the Strait of Hormuz near the strategic port of Bandar Abbas. Its position overlooking key shipping lanes at the mouth of the Gulf gives it a pivotal role in maritime security tensions and global energy supply routes.

Larak sits at one of the narrowest points of the Strait of Hormuz, east of Qeshm Island and south of Hormuz Island in the Arabian Gulf, close to routes used by ships and oil tankers.

This proximity allows Iran to monitor vessel movements, with radar installations and navigation monitoring facilities established on the island.

The island hosts a Revolutionary Guard military base and an oil export terminal dating back to the late 1980s.

The Revolutionary Guard uses Larak’s ports to impose its conditions on passing ships, including collecting transit fees.

This military significance explains why Larak has featured in Pentagon contingency plans for strikes on Iranian sites linked to disruptions in the strait, according to Axios.

Larak Island strike

A US official said Sunday that American forces struck two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island after detecting Revolutionary Guard units preparing to fire missiles equipped with naval mines toward the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that its forces carried out a "limited and precise" operation against Iranian units preparing to plant sea mines in the strait.

CENTCOM added that Iran had created the threat, and the US military acted to eliminate it and protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and global trade.

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US military strike on parts of Larak Island, accusing the US military of "violating Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the ministry said the US military had "once again violated the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran and attacked parts of Larak Island."

The statement added that the attack "resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of our loyal defenders and citizens, as well as damage to public and private property."

According to IRNA, the statement continued: "In response to this military aggression, and affirming the right to self-defense, the Iranian armed forces launched decisive defensive strikes targeting US military bases in Jordan, which had served as a source and support for the US military aggression against the Iranian people."