U.S. strikes Iranian launchers on Larak Island; Tehran retaliates

U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island in Iran, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a U.S. official.

Tehran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan, Iranian media reports said.

“I can confirm that ⁠earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard ‌Corps forces were observed preparing ‌to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. official is quoted as saying.

Several soldiers and civilians have been killed and injured, Iranian state media said, with Iran launching ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Jordan in retaliation.

A Fox News reporter said nearly all of the missiles were intercepted, and that no major impacts were seen.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged Gulf rulers to unite against what he called their “real enemy,” issuing a rare written message as the six-month-old war continues to strain relations across the region.

Khamenei called on Muslim countries, particularly Gulf states, to strengthen cooperation and mutual defence, arguing that divisions among Muslim nations benefited their adversaries.

“My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it,” he said.

The message, published on his Telegram account for Islamic Unity Week, follows a similar appeal to Iranians on Friday, when Khamenei urged authorities to avoid statements that could weaken public morale.
Khamenei has not appeared publicly since being injured in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes six months ago that began the current conflict and killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

His appeal comes amid continued tensions between Tehran and Gulf governments. Iran has struck U.S. military facilities and other infrastructure in Gulf states during the conflict, complicating any effort to build the regional unity Khamenei advocated.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization warned on Sunday that the “enemy” was using psychological warfare to undermine national stability and resilience

“Iran’s response is clear: disrupt the enemy’s command capabilities, strike networks of terrorist collaborators, and confront those seeking to undermine stability and unity,” the organization stated.

Iran continues to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, maintaining pressure on global energy markets. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran was in no hurry to reopen the strategic waterway.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also said it remains firmly in control of the strait, rejecting U.S. statements about shipping access and accusing Washington of trying to influence energy prices.

The closure remains one of the war’s biggest risks to global oil supplies, with Hormuz serving as a critical route for crude and liquefied natural gas exports from the Gulf.

Diplomatic efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough. Iraq has offered to act as a bridge between Tehran and Washington, as the Trump administration steps up economic pressure on Iran.
On Sunday, Lebanon’s foreign ministry told Iran to conduct its relations through the country’s legitimate state institutions in response to Iran’s Foreign Minister’s statements that he wanted ties with both the Lebanese government as well as other political factions in the country.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday that it had received a delayed report of a tanker being struck by an unknown projectile on Saturday 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. There were no casualties reported.

Also, on Sunday, Yemen’s National Resistance Forces, an anti-Houthi faction supporting the internationally recognized government, intercepted a vessel in the Red Sea that was reportedly transporting Iranian military equipment to the Houthis, Al Hadath reported. The shipment included components intended for the production and development of attack drones, the report said.

These latest developments come roughly six months into the conflict, with Tehran facing intensified U.S. sanctions alongside continuing military and economic pressure.