US and Iran trade attacks, marking first major military escalation
Iran and the United States traded attacks for the first time in over a month overnight into Monday, in an exchange that risks reigniting the damaging conflict after weeks of relative military calm.
Iran fired missiles toward US military targets in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for a strike on Iranian rocket launchers that the US said were trying to launch sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz –– the key shipping route that’s become the center of regional tensions and diplomatic efforts.
The exchange of strikes came just days after President Donald Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz free from mines, and is a break with Washington’s recent shift in focus to maximizing economic pressure on Iran rather than military actions.
Six months into the festering conflict, the US and Iran have been locked in battle over control of the waterway, critical to global energy supplies, with Tehran asserting its claimed right to manage it with regular strikes on vessels, and the US determined to keep traffic flowing by guiding ships and a military blockade of Iranian ports.
US and Iran trade attacks, marking first major military escalation in a month
The US strike on Sunday targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island, where it observed Iranian forces preparing to launch rockets with mines into the strait, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM).
‘Limited, precise action’
The military took “limited, precise action” against Iran’s “minelaying forces posing an imminent threat” in the critical waterway, CENTCOM later said in a post on X.
“Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce.”
Residents reported hearing an explosion near the island, a small landmass off the coast of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, according to state media, which reported casualties of Iranian forces and civilians.
“We are not seeking war… But in the face of aggression, we will never sit idly by, and we are capable of delivering a decisive response.” said Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
The country’s powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) called the US strike “a strategic and deadly mistake” by the Trump administration and vowed retaliation, according to a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.
By Monday morning, Iran had claimed to have targeted bases used by the US military in both Jordan and the UAE.
Footage released by Iranian state media purports to show missiles launched by the IRGC toward US military installations in Jordan. IRIB
Jordan’s armed forces said their air defense systems intercepted and destroyed eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace. The military said the projectiles were neutralized before they could pose any threat to civilians or property.
The UAE’s detection of a drone over its territorial waters followed earlier claims in Iranian state media that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had targeted a base hosting US personnel there.
The UAE denied that the base had been targeted, and condemned the attack as a “dangerous escalation,” adding that it “reserves the full right to respond,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
The UAE was among the most frequently targeted countries at the height of the war earlier this year, but attacks had declined significantly in recent months, even as Iran continued to strike other Arab nations.
CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the waterway’s international shipping routes last week, the Trump administration has said. “Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed,” Trump said last Tuesday.
“US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” a US official said.
When asked for comment on the latest strikes, the White House referred CNN to US Central Command.
Stalled talks
Half a year after the war began, talks between the two countries have stalled, with the White House saying Thursday that there are no ongoing negotiations.
But Iran and Oman continue discussions over a proposed arrangement to restore maritime traffic through the strait.
Regional mediators, including Qatar, have backed the talks, while Iranian officials have repeatedly linked the future of navigation through the strait to broader discussions with Washington and regional security developments.
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president, said on Monday that “the state of neither war nor peace cannot be a sustainable solution.”
“What is needed today are realistic and sustainable political solutions that address the political and economic dimensions of the crisis,” he said in a post on X.
Sunday’s attack marked the first US strikes on Iran since July 29, when the US completed a “heavy wave of strikes” in response to an attempted attack on American military positions the day before.
Trump in recent weeks has focused on increasing economic pain for Iran rather than military actions, claiming last week that the US’ financial strength will move the country “toward a very big victory.” The US Treasury Department has threatened damaging new sanctions on countries that refuse to cut economic ties with Iran, calling it an “economic D-Day.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Reuters on Sunday the department was likely to unveil weekly new secondary economic sanctions on Iran, focusing at first on banks.
“You’re going to see a lot more of these every week,” Bessent said ahead of a Group of 20 finance leaders meeting. “We’re starting with the banks, and we’re telling the banks it’s not okay to have Iranian money and to aid the regime.”
Oil prices jumped Sunday after the US launched the strikes on Iran. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 2.8% to $90.57 a barrel, while US crude rose 2.7% to $85.64 a barrel.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim, Aida Karimi, Helen Regan, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Auzinea Bacon contributed to this report. US and Iran trade attacks, marking first major military escalation in a month
SOURCE:https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/30/politics/us-iran-strikes-larak-island
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