--- title: "Iran, US trade strikes in first fighting in a month" description: "Iranian forces fired missiles at American positions in Jordan following U.S. strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz." date: "2026-08-30" modified: "2026-08-30" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-iran-new-strikes-larak-island-jordan/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Iran" - "News" tags: - "central command" --- # Iran, US trade strikes in first fighting in a month ![A U.S. Sailor signals an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 195, during a launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), Aug. 28, 2026. George Washington is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo)]() *A F/A-18 Super Hornet with Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 195 launches from the USS George Washington in the Middle East on Aug. 28, 2026. Navy photo.* The U.S. military and Iran traded strikes Sunday night, led by American strikes on\\ an island in the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting is the first time the United States has struck Iranian targets since the end of July. U.S. forces struck two [Iranian]() rocket aunch sites on Larak Island on Sunday, in response to purported preparations to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. The small island is used by Iranian military forces and ships traveling through the strait on commercial routes pass by the small landmass. Iranian media said that the attack resulted in many fatalities and other casualties. In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command [said]() that U.S. forces "took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz." In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed retaliation and fired drones and missiles at American bases in Jordan. The IRGC said that it targeted the King Hussein and al-Azraq bases in Jordan, where U.S. troops operate from, and caused significant damage to infrastructure at the two sites. However, Jordan's military reported it intercepted eight missiles that penetrated its airspace. There are no reported casualties. The attack and alleged minelaying effort comes only two days after CENTCOM [announced]() that it had disabled or removed all of the mines inside two major international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization, which monitors traffic and incidents in major commercial shipping lanes, [reported]() that a tanker had been hit by an "unknown projectile" 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman in the strait. The overnight fighting is the first since the last reported American strike on Iran on July 30. An agreed-upon ceasefire broke down in July, with CENTCOM launching days of attacks on Iranian positions after incidents on the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian strikes killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan, while another American service member died in Iraq while dealing with a crashed Iranian one-way attack drone. *This is a developing story.* ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()