American forces have struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island, marking the first known US military attack on the country since late July.

A US official confirmed the strike on the island, which sits just offshore from the major port of Bandar Abbas right on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the operation was carried out by drones, leaving two people dead and two others injured.

The IRGC confirmed that Sunday's attack had killed and wounded personnel, immediately issuing a statement vowing "response and punishment".

Tehran followed through on that warning hours later. Iranian state media carried an IRGC statement confirming it had launched ballistic missiles at two US military sites in Jordan — the King Hussein and al-Azraq bases. The IRGC claimed the strikes caused "heavy damage", saying they specifically targeted "technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and enemy fighter jet positions".

Jordan's army confirmed shortly after the IRGC announcement that its air defence forces had intercepted eight incoming missiles.

This latest clash breaks a lull in direct US actions against Iranian territory. The strike on Larak Island is the first known American attack on Iran since President Donald Trump paused a renewed military campaign in late July.

The geography here is critical. Larak Island commands a strategic position directly on the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime bottleneck through which roughly 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel before the conflict began.

Naval tensions in the waterway have remained high. Last week, Donald Trump said that all mines placed in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran as part of its blockade efforts had either been detonated or removed, adding a public warning that any Iranian ship or boat deploying fresh mines would be destroyed.

The military action comes alongside renewed economic measures from Washington. On 24 August, the US government announced a fresh sanctions drive intended to isolate Tehran further and broaden secondary sanctions against its trading partners. Iranian officials have dismissed the sanctions, maintaining they are "fully prepared" to counter them and framing the economic moves as a response to US military setbacks.

The conflict itself has now crossed the six-month mark. It began on 28 February when the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, leading Tehran to retaliate against Israel, regional US bases, and Gulf allies, while effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.

What we don't know yet is the independent assessment of the damage at the Jordanian bases, or what Centcom's official response will be — the BBC has approached US Central Command for comment. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.