US Defends Strike on Larak as Bid to Keep Hormuz Open

TAMPA, Aug 31: The United States said its strike on Iran’s Larak Island was aimed at eliminating an “imminent threat” to the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting Tehran’s description of the operation as an act of aggression.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces carried out “limited, precise action” against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces that were preparing to deploy sea mines in the strategic waterway.

“Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it,” CENTCOM said, adding that the operation was intended to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping and the free flow of global commerce.

The US strike targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, according to US officials. The launchers were allegedly being prepared to fire rockets carrying naval mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s IRGC said the attack caused deaths and injuries among its personnel and civilians and vowed retaliation. Tehran subsequently said it launched missile and drone attacks against US military bases in Jordan.

The exchange marks a fresh escalation between Washington and Tehran over the strategic waterway, a major route for global energy and commercial shipping