The United States and Iran have exchanged fire for the first time in a month, with the US targeting Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by striking US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
US Central Command stated that it acted late on Sunday, launching strikes after detecting Iranian plans to deploy fresh mines in the strait. US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened further action, telling Fox News, “We’re going to hit them hard. There will be a response.”
In response to the US attack, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it targeted technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and enemy fighter jet positions at the US-operated King Hussein and al-Azraq airbases in Jordan with ballistic missiles, causing “heavy damage”. The UAE defence ministry reported intercepting a drone over its territorial waters.
Iranian state TV claimed the military exchanges escalated on Sunday after a tanker caught fire upon hitting two Iranian naval mines while attempting to pass through the southern side of the strait. The IRGC warned that other ships violating its rules would face the same fate.
However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on Monday that continuing the war was not in Iran’s interest. He added that he was still ready to implement a memorandum of understanding with the US that Pakistan had mediated in June.
A G20 finance ministers meeting in the US is anticipated to include discussions on US demands for more countries to impose sanctions on Iran. The German finance minister, Lars Klingbeil, is expected to urge the US to seek a diplomatic end to the conflict, citing its inflationary impact.