U.S. forces struck Iran again Sunday as senior commanders warned that the six-month war is stretching American forces and weapons supplies.
They struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terror group was observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines, according to U.S. Central Command.
A B-2 Spirit soars after a refueling mission over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, May 30, 2006. The B-2, from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., is part of a continuous bomber presence in the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III)
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, receives fuel from a 100th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker during Global Thunder 20, Oct. 28, 2019. Global Thunder is an annual command and control exercise that provides training opportunities for all of U.S. Strategic Command’s mission areas, tests joint and field training operations, and has a specific focus on nuclear readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Trevor T. McBride)
B-2A Spirit On Display. Image by Editor Harry J. Kazianis/National Security Journal.
Iran answered by firing ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan early Monday and also claimed a drone attack on Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles. The UAE denied that Al Minhad had been hit, although its Defense Ministry later said an Iranian drone entered Emirati airspace.
‘Limited’ Action
CENTCOM described the Larak attack as a “limited, precise action” against what it called an “imminent threat” to shipping.
“In essence, Iran created the threat, and the U.S. military eliminated it,” CENTCOM said, according to the Associated Press.
Iran said two people were killed and others wounded. An IRGC spokesman called the strike a “fatal mistake by the Trump regime during the economic war” and promised retaliation.
The Mighty B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit demonstrates the aircraft’s capabilities during the March Field Air and Space Expo 2018 at March Air Reserve Base, California, April 7, 2018. The March Field Air and Space Expo is celebrating 100 years since March Field was established and 70 years of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Eric Harris)
The exchange was the first known U.S.-Iran clash since late July.
It came days after the Trump administration shifted its emphasis toward economic pressure aimed at forcing Tehran back to negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Tehran still wanted a deal.
“We are still trying to achieve an agreement and understanding,” Pezeshkian said, adding that “continuing the war is in no one’s interest.”
Commanders Warn Hegseth
The exchange came as senior U.S. commanders warned Hegseth that prolonged operations against Iran could leave fewer forces available for other theaters.
Senior Army, Navy and Air Force leaders, together with four-star commanders responsible for Europe, Asia and Latin America, warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an Aug. 14 classified assessment that extending large-scale Iran operations could weaken U.S. forces elsewhere, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
One person familiar with the assessment summarized the military’s view as “too much for too long.”
More than 50,000 U.S. troops have remained on alert in the Middle East for months, according to the Post. Several units are set to remain in the region in September. Others could reportedly stay into the new year.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told Hegseth that barely one-quarter of the destroyer fleet was ready to deploy, according to the Post. Discussing deployment extensions separately, Caudle called them “very challenging for our sailors.”
“I push back hard on that, but the enemy gets a vote,” he said.
Washington Expands Sanctions
At the same time, the Trump administration is intensifying its economic campaign against Tehran.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Associated Press on Sunday that the administration plans to sanction another bank this week under Operation Economic Outcast.
“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said.
On Friday, the Treasury Department proposed cutting the UAE branch of Egypt’s Banque Misr off from U.S. correspondent banking. “We also warned that Iran’s enablers cannot continue to enjoy access to the U.S. dollar,” Bessent said.
The Trade Secretary claimed further that “all options are on the table” regarding secondary sanctions. Speaking at the G20 summit on Monday, Bessent told Reuters: “The world cannot have a China with a US$1.2 trillion trade surplus… The rest of the world is going to have to examine their terms of trade with China.”
24 Vessels Passed Strait Last Week, Says Trump
130 vessels passed via the Strait of Hormuz daily before the war, but last week, Trump claimed that just 24 ships crossed the once-busy waterway.
Brent crude surged by 3 percent on Monday, reaching over $90 per barrel.
Trump shared an AI-created clip depicting Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil-export site, as being “blown to smithereens.” No evidence of a real attack has been reported, and Polymarket traders currently place the likelihood of the territory no longer being under Iranian control by December 31 at just 8 percent.
Hamid Bovard, the chief executive of state-owned National Iranian Oil Co, has announced that oil operations were uninterrupted on the island, stating: “Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate.”
“We don’t want to speak to them. We’re not looking to meet or anything,” Trump told reporters earlier this month, while stressing that the Strait of Hormuz was open and Iran was in “deep trouble.”
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
