TEHRAN, Sept. 1 — The U.S. military struck Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first known American attack on Iranian territory since late July, killing two people and wounding at least two others, Iranian state media and local officials reported Monday.
Qeshm Island authorities confirmed the casualty count, which some regional outlets later revised to three dead, though the official morning briefing from Tehran held at two fatalities. The strike targeted facilities on the strategically positioned island near the narrowest point of the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments pass.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack was carried out by U.S. naval assets and warned of a proportionate response. The White House and Pentagon have not issued a formal statement; a National Security Council spokesperson declined to comment on operational details.
The escalation follows weeks of heightened tension after Iran seized a commercial tanker in the strait and the U.S. deployed additional destroyers and air defense batteries to the region. Oil prices jumped more than 4% in early Asian trading Monday on supply disruption fears and the threat of broader infrastructure targeting.
President Donald Trump, briefed on the operation aboard Air Force One, told reporters the U.S. would “take out” Kharg Island’s energy infrastructure if Iran retaliates against American forces or shipping. Kharg Island hosts the bulk of Iran’s crude export terminals, and a strike there would effectively cripple the country’s oil revenues.
Regional diplomats said back-channel talks are underway via Omani mediators, but both sides have publicly ruled out de-escalation before the other yields. The strike marks a sharp departure from the pattern of calibrated pressure that characterized the preceding months, pushing the region closer to an all-out energy war.