US forces strike Iranian rocket launchers amid Pentagon concerns over prolonged military campaign
American military forces attacked two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island after detecting preparations to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first acknowledged US strike in the waterway in approximately one month. Senior Pentagon commanders have privately warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that sustaining large-scale military operations against Iran could strain American military readiness and weaken the capacity to respond to threats in other regions and defend the homeland. Shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz has declined significantly as the standoff between the United States and Iran continues.
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United States forces attacked two Iranian rocket launchers located on Larak Island in Hormozgan province on Sunday after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval units were reportedly preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. According to several news organisations, this represented the first acknowledged American military strike in the waterway for approximately one month, following Washington's imposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports earlier this year.
The operation occurred on the same day that senior United States military leaders, including commanders from European Command and Southern Command, privately expressed concerns to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. These military officials warned that continuing large-scale operations against Iran over an extended period risked straining American military readiness and could reduce the military's ability to respond to security challenges in other regions, including homeland defence. The Pentagon has growing concerns about the costs of the ongoing campaign.
Iran has disputed American claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a vital international corridor for global oil shipments. President Masoud Pezeshkian's government has proposed certain conditions under which it would be willing to reopen full transit through the waterway. The United States Central Command maintains that the strait remains an international waterway that is open to commercial traffic and protected by American forces.
Shipping volumes through the Strait of Hormuz have remained substantially below normal levels for several weeks as the standoff between the two countries persists.
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