Middle East Live: US strikes Iran for first time in a month as Tehran retaliates against Jordan base
France 24 · LC · trust 78/100
By: FRANCE 24 The US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington transits the Strait of Malacca on August 13, 2026. © US Navy via Reuters US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Iran swiftly vowed to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
A supertanker caught fire and was brought to a complete halt after being struck by two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz, Iran state TV reported, citing a statement by the Revolutionary Guards.
The Guards said the tanker had been attempting to pass through the waterway illegally. It did not identify the vessel or provide information about its crew.
The Guards warned that other ships violating its security rules would face the same fate and said compliance with its regulations for passage through the Strait of Hormuz was mandatory.
Iran's armed forces struck US military bases in Jordan in response to a US attack on Larak Island, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the US bases in Jordan had been used to launch and support the attack on Larak that killed and wounded members of Iran's armed forces and civilians.
It said Iran would respond decisively to further military aggression and stressed that the US and parties supporting its actions bore full responsibility for any escalation.
Iran's army said it attacked the United Arab Emirates' Al Minhad Air Base with drones, Iranian state TV reported, citing a statement from the army.
The army said the attack targeted locations where US forces and helicopters were stationed at the base.
It said the attack was in response to the killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Iranian civilians on Larak Island.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz with air defence missiles, causing it to crash into Gulf waters, the Mehr news agency reported on Monday, citing an IRGC statement.
Iran's energy hub of Kharg Island is being blown to smithereens, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, after forces hit two rocket launchers on another island in the first known American strikes on the Islamic republic since late July.
Attacking Kharg, which handled 90% of Iran's oil exports before the war launched by US and Israeli attacks on February 28, would severely disrupt the Islamic republic's energy trade and put huge pressure on its economy.
"Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT," Trump said on social media, but gave no further details.
Iran’s supreme leader called on Muslim countries to stand together against Israel and the United States, imploring them to “know your real enemy.”
US forces said they struck Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, in their first military action in a month. Iran later said it had launched missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan after earlier vowing to retaliate.
Jordan's army said Monday it had intercepted eight missiles, shortly after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked US military targets in the Washington-allied kingdom.
"Air defense systems intercepted eight missiles that breached the Kingdom's airspace at dawn today, Monday," read a statement quoting the army's spokesperson.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday they attacked US military targets in Jordan, state media reported.
The Guards "targeted technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and enemy fighter jet positions at the US-operated King Hussein and Al-Azraq airbases in Jordan" with ballistic missiles, causing "heavy damage", according to a statement published by state TV.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that US strikes on an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday had left dead and wounded and promised reprisals.
The US strike, which hit Iran's Larak Island, was the first such attack in a month.
A statement from US Central Command said that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had been observed "preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz".
The number of visible commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropped to five per day over the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday, as companies tread cautiously amid continued attacks on ships.
The actual number of ships passing the strait could be higher as some vessels have switched off their automatic identification system to evade attacks.
Weekend traffic was limited to small-sized vessels, data from commodities firm Kpler showed. These included two liquefied petroleum gas carriers with one of them exiting the strait via the Iranian route while the other sailed out in the dark and is heading for India, the data showed.
Iran is attacking US forces stationed in Jordan, Fox News reporter Trey Yingst said on Sunday, citing a US source.
There has been no significant impact so far, the reporter's X post said, adding that nearly all incoming missiles "have been intercepted at this point."
Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Monday, with Brent back above $90 a barrel, after US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first known American strikes on the Gulf nation since late July.
The Trump administration plans to impose sanctions on another bank this week in an effort to clamp down on Iran transactions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.
Bessent spoke with The Associated Press ahead of Group of 20 meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, where he will meet individually with his counterparts from the world’s major and developing economies to encourage participation in the economic isolation of Iran .
“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said in the interview. “We are showing…
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