The US military has carried out fresh strikes on Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, the reported, citing a US official. The unnamed official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) forces had been observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait. In a statement, the IRGC confirmed strikes had hit Larak Island, resulting in an unspecified number of casualties, per Iran's Fars news agency.
It also warned that the attack would be "met with a retaliatory response." The strikes mark the US's first military action in the Strait in a month. US Central Command leader Admiral Brad Cooper announced earlier this week that Iranian sea mines had been "successfully cleared" from the Strait's international shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial energy transit chokepoint that usually carries around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade.
Iran effectively closed the waterway following US and Israeli strikes in late February, and it has since become a key sticking point in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
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