# United States Strikes Larak Island and Iran Says It Hit Bases in Jordan and the Emirates

Washington says it destroyed launchers preparing to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran says the attack killed Revolutionary Guards members and civilians. Iran later said a supertanker was struck by mines and caught fire in the strait, contradicting a United States claim that the waterway had been cleared.

- Published: 2026-08-31T05:19:21.164Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-08-31/united-states-strikes-larak-island-and-iran-says-it-hit-base
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/2026311/iran-targets-us-military-in-jordan-uae-after-american-attack-on-larak-island-in-latest-flare-up), [The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/west-asia-war-us-attack-on-iran-live-updates-donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-news-august-31-2026/article71409553.ece), [Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/31/iran-fires-retaliatory-strikes-following-us-attacks-on-larak-island-in-the-strait-of-hormu), [Globes (Hebrew)](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001553882#utm_source=RSS)

American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, on Sunday, the first direct United States attack on Iranian territory in about a month. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday it retaliated against American military positions in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, [according to Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/2026311/iran-targets-us-military-in-jordan-uae-after-american-attack-on-larak-island-in-latest-flare-up). Iranian state television, [cited by The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/west-asia-war-us-attack-on-iran-live-updates-donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-news-august-31-2026/article71409553.ece), said the army attacked Al Minhad Air Base in the Emirates with drones. Jordan's military said it intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace early Monday, [according to TASS](https://tass.com/world/2179635), and reported no casualties or damage.

The two sides describe the same event differently. United States Central Command said its forces hit the launchers because IRGC units were preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the shipping lane, and [Euronews reported](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/31/iran-fires-retaliatory-strikes-following-us-attacks-on-larak-island-in-the-strait-of-hormu) that Washington frames the operation as protecting global shipping under a war objective now centered on economic pressure. Tehran says the strike killed Revolutionary Guards personnel and Iranian civilians on Larak, and casts its response as retaliation for those deaths. The Hebrew-language business daily [Globes reported](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001553882#utm_source=RSS) that Iran also fired at American vessels, and quoted President Donald Trump saying Kharg Island was being bombed heavily. Independent confirmation of the damage on either side is not available.

The conflict escalated further on Monday when Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a supertanker attempting to transit the strait struck two sea mines, caught fire and came to a halt, [according to UPI](https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/08/31/iran-supertanker-Hormuz-mines/1101788151399/). The claim came days after Trump said on social media that the strait had been cleared of mines, writing that "all water mines have been removed or detonated." The Guards said the vessel had been taking an "illegal route" and warned that other ships violating its passage rules would face the same treatment, a direct rebuttal of Trump's claim that the waterway is open. No information on the tanker's identity, cargo or crew has been released.

Oil responded to the escalating conflict. Brent crude for November delivery gained 1.54% to $89.46 a barrel earlier Monday, [CNBC reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/31/oil-prices-hormuz-iran-larak-island-centcom.html), and the benchmark climbed further after the tanker incident, trading above $90 a barrel, [according to CryptoDaily](https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2026/08/bitcoin-steady-iran-escalation-oil-stocks). The conflict is now in its sixth month.

## What this means

The mine-laying allegation moves the fight from oil facilities to the waterway itself, which is where the price risk concentrates. Roughly a fifth of seaborne crude passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so tanker owners and war-risk insurers gain from higher rates and premiums, while refiners and import-dependent economies in Asia lose through higher input costs. For central banks already worried about inflation, an energy shock arriving alongside hawkish policy narrows the room to distinguish between temporary and persistent price pressure.

## What to watch

- Whether Gulf states publicly object to their territory being used or targeted, since Emirati and Jordanian responses will show how much regional cover Washington retains.
- War-risk insurance quotes for tankers transiting Hormuz, because a sharp rise would signal that underwriters expect actual mining rather than posturing.
- Whether Iran attacks commercial shipping directly rather than military targets, which would mark a shift from calibrated retaliation to disruption of trade.