The US and Iran traded fire on Monday in the most direct confrontation between the two sides in weeks, fanning fears of an escalation of the six-month war across the region, BBC reported.
On Sunday, US military forces struck two Iranian launchers located on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz after identifying “IRGC (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards forces) preparing to launch rockets loaded with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command said.
“This morning, US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island,” said Captain Tim Hawkins of US Central Command. “Forces on the ground remain prepared to defend freedom of navigation in the strait.”
Reuters cited US officials as saying that Iran struck US military positions in Jordan using ballistic missiles. Jordan’s military reported it intercepted 8 missiles that entered its territory.
Official Iranian TV reported that Iranian forces attacked a military base in the UAE with Iranian-made drones.
The Guards swore“response and punishment” after the US missile strike. Iranian officials said that, as a result of the American operation, it killed two people and injured two others.
The development jeopardises shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which is the path of a significant part of the world’s oil traffic and comes as diplomatic efforts to find peace continue to lag.
