US missile strike on Larak Island prompts Iranian retaliation and heightened naval activity in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. forces struck two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, a U.S. official told Fox News. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack killed and wounded several fighters and civilians and promised to punish those responsible, though it did not release a casualty count.

Iranian state media described the strike as aggression by the "American-Zionist adversary" and warned of a response. The same day, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported an explosion near the island, and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed a delayed report of a tanker hit by an unknown projectile 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, with no casualties or environmental damage reported.

U.S. Central Command said it continues to monitor the area and is prepared to protect commercial shipping. TankerTrackers estimated that crude oil shipments crossing the U.S. blockade line in the strait averaged 6.7 million barrels per day over the past week.

The US Navy’s new carrier, USS George Washington, arrived in the Arabian Sea near the strait, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln. Captain Nicholas DeLeo, commanding officer of the carrier, said morale aboard the ship remains high. Rear Admiral Jeff Heames, commander of Carrier Strike Group Five, said the group is ready for sustained operations.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen warned that Israel would strike Iran again if Tehran attempts to rebuild its nuclear or ballistic-missile programs, even under a new US-Iran agreement. Iranian officials indicated openness to renewed diplomacy with Washington while continuing to resist U.S. pressure over the strait and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.