US forces strike IRGC targets in Iran after attempted attacks on shipping
The U.S. military launched strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guard sites following reports of attempted mining and missile attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said that at noon Eastern Time American forces began hitting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) positions in Iran. The operation was described as a response to recent attempts by the IRGC to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz and to launch missiles at U.S. personnel stationed in the region.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including the port city of Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Lavan Island and Konarak. The IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi warned that the United States would regret its attacks.
President Donald Trump, speaking on a social-media platform, framed the strikes as retaliation for a failed Iranian effort to lay sea mines and for intercepted missile launches aimed at a U.S. base in Jordan. He cautioned that any Iranian retaliation would be met with further U.S. action.
The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted an Iranian drone over its waters, and Jordan reported that missiles aimed at its military installation were shot down. The United States has said the strikes are intended to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial shipping, which carries about one-fifth of global seaborne energy supplies.