US strikes Larak Island, claims Iran planned rocket-laid mines in Hormuz

August 31, 2026 at 06:00 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The United States struck military targets on Iran's Larak Island on Sunday, saying the action aimed to prevent Iran from using rockets to lay sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran condemned the strike as an act of aggression and launched retaliatory attacks on two US army bases in Jordan. The US claim has drawn skepticism from a retired senior US naval officer, who called rocket-laid mines implausible.

Key Facts

The US struck military targets on Iran's Larak Island on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said the US observed Iran's IRGC preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported at least two people killed and two injured in the US strikes.
Retired senior US naval officer Harlan Ullman called the US claim of rocket-launched mines implausible.
In January 2025, Iranian state television showed the IRGC using the Fajr-5 Multiple Launch Rocket System to lay mines during naval exercises.

The US Strike

The United States broke a one-month lull in its war on Iran by striking military targets on Larak Island on Sunday. US officials said the strikes aimed to prevent Tehran from using rockets to deploy sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The US called the strikes a limited, precise action against mine-laying forces. CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said the US military, which is blockading Iranian ports in and around Hormuz, had observed Iran's IRGC preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines.

Iranian Response

Iran's leaders condemned the attack as an act of aggression. The IRGC launched retaliatory attacks on two US army bases in Jordan. In a statement, the IRGC said its members and civilians were killed in the US strikes. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said at least two people were killed and two injured.

Feasibility of Rocket-Laid Mines

Retired senior US naval officer Harlan Ullman told Al Jazeera that the US claim of rocket-launched mines was implausible. Ullman suggested the US may have received intelligence that Iran was prepared to use launchers from ships to deploy new mines but wanted to downplay the threat. He said a rocket impacting the water would likely damage the mines. In January 2025, Iranian state television appeared to show the IRGC using the Fajr-5 Multiple Launch Rocket System to lay mines during naval exercises. The Fajr-5 is a medium-range system primarily built to fire rockets with warheads and is mounted on trucks that can handle difficult terrain.