US military strikes Iranian rocket launchers near Strait of Hormuz; Pentagon leaders express concern about prolonged operations
American forces destroyed two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after observing Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. Senior US military commanders have privately warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that extending operations against Iran could strain military resources and reduce America's ability to respond to other threats. Shipping levels through the critical waterway have remained significantly below normal as tensions persist between the two nations.
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United States forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in Hormozgan province on Sunday, following reports that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval units were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. According to United States officials and international news outlets including the Associated Press and the Jerusalem Post, this marked the first acknowledged American military action in the waterway in approximately one month, following Washington's earlier imposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The strike occurred on the same day that The Washington Post reported a significant development within the Pentagon. Several senior United States military leaders, including commanders from European Command and Southern Command, had privately informed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonged large-scale operations against Iran were straining American military readiness. These officers expressed concern that extended operations could diminish the military's capacity to address security threats in other regions, including within the United States itself. The warning highlighted growing worry among Pentagon officials about the sustainability and wider strategic costs of the monthslong campaign.
Iran has consistently challenged United States assertions regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most vital shipping corridor for petroleum. President Masoud Pezeshkian's government has proposed specific conditions under which it claims it would permit full transit through the waterway. United States Central Command maintains that the strait constitutes an international waterway available to commercial shipping, operating under American protection. Commercial shipping through the strait has declined substantially for several weeks as the standoff between the nations continues.
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