US strikes Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in first
military action in weeks
[August 31, 2026]
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, CARA ANNA and BEN FINLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the
Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday,
breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted
more than six months. Vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly
attack, Iran later said it had launched missiles at U.S. sites in
Jordan.
Forces with the Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to
launch rockets with sea mines into the strait, according to Tim Hawkins,
a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military last week
completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping
routes.
Semiofficial news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near
Larak island on the strait. The Guard in a statement carried by Iran's
state broadcaster noted “the martyrdom and injury of several of our
fighters and compatriots.”
Later, Iranian state television showed what it said were ballistic
missiles being fired by Iran at U.S. bases in Jordan in response to the
American strikes. Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight
missiles that penetrated the country’s airspace early Monday in the
Mideast.
U.S. military officials disputed Iran's claim that the latest American
strikes were an act of aggression, calling them a "limited, precise
action" against what they said were minelaying forces.
“In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it
to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of
global commerce,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement late Sunday.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran
has targeted U.S. military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries
since the war began on Feb. 28.
The last time the U.S. military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29,
when it announced a “heavy wave of strikes” on dozens of Revolutionary
Guard targets including coastal surveillance and defense sites. On Aug.
1, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would order the military to hold
off on new strikes at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates.
The US had turned to economic pressure
The attack comes just days after the Trump administration said it would
turn its focus to increasing economic pressure — rather than military
action — to try to end its war with Iran. The shifting strategy centers
on threats to punish any country or entity that continues to conduct
business with Tehran.
Sunday's attack was a “fatal mistake by the Trump regime during the
economic war” and the enemy will pay the consequences militarily and
economically, a Guard spokesperson, Gen. Hossein Mohebi, said in a
statement carried by Iranian media.
The U.S. turn to using sanctions came as the administration weighs
diminished munitions stockpiles after months of war, sparking concerns
that the prolonged conflict could undermine U.S. military readiness in
other parts of the globe.
As the conflict grinds on, Trump’s talk of finding a quick end to the
war also appears to be fading. He stressed last week that he’s “not in a
hurry” to get Iran back to the negotiating table, and he continues
making the case that the Islamic Republic’s leadership is on the ropes.
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Crowds fill a street during celebrations marking Prophet Muhammad's
birthday in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid
Salemi)
Appointments to Iran’s senior security leadership in the past month,
however, have signaled Tehran’s defiance after weathering decades of
sanctions as well as a lack of tolerance for dissent at home.
Trump has consistently emphasized that the U.S. and Israeli campaign
has been devastating for Iran’s navy and air force. Iranian
officials have said the country has suffered $270 billion in direct
and indirect damage. Israeli military strikes in the first weeks of
the war wiped out much of the theocratic government’s leadership
structure.
Iran leans on the strait for leverage
But Iran has found leverage through its strikes against vessels on
the Strait of Hormuz, where relatively few ships carrying oil and
liquefied natural gas are risking passage. Iran still has enough
drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the waterway
through which 20% of the world's oil normally flows.
Crude oil prices rose Sunday in response to the U.S. attack. The
price for a barrel of U.S. oil went up 1.8% to $84.94, while the
price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose
1.9% to $89.79.
Tehran continues to assert that even after it works out a management
plan for the strait with Oman, its neighbor on the other side of the
waterway, the U.S. can't use it until it fulfills its obligations
under the memorandum of understanding the countries signed in
mid-June.
Trump has repeatedly declared that the “Strait of Hormuz is open,”
saying 24 vessels passed through last week. But that’s a fraction of
the roughly 130 vessels that transited daily before the war began.
Earlier on Sunday, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S.
Navy said commercial traffic through the strait remained at “reduced
levels.”
And a monitoring agency run by the British military said an unknown
projectile struck a tanker ship on Saturday north of Khasab, Oman,
in the strait. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said
no casualties or environmental impact had been reported, and cited
unspecified military authorities. There was no immediate claim of
responsibility.
The U.S. military said that as of Sunday, it had redirected 83
commercial vessels and disabled three under its blockade of Iranian
ports.
___
Toropin reported from Nuremberg, Germany. Anna reported from
Lowville, New York. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber
in Los Angeles and Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this
report.
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