The United States and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time in over a month, after a U.S. attack on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz triggered Iranian missile and drone strikes on two American bases in Jordan, sending Brent crude futures above $90 a barrel.
President Donald Trump said Monday morning, "We're going to hit them very hard," after Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched an attack on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan in response to the American strike on Larak Island over the weekend. "There will be a response," Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst on a call, according to Yingst.
Trump also reportedly said U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles fired at the bases by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after being assessed as unlikely to strike anything significant. The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that its response "destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites," inflicting "heavy damage," according to Iranian military forces, who vowed increasingly forceful responses.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that for every American attack on Iran, Tehran will respond "dozens of times greater," adding that "no target in the region is beyond Tehran's reach." The source said conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will worsen for vessels that violate Tehran's rules for passage through the waterway.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that American forces hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after observing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. "Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway," Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said. Larak Island has become a key military and shipping control point for Tehran, used by the Guard to monitor vessel traffic through the route. Sunday's strike was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. attack on Iranian positions since late July.
Military supply concerns
The exchange came as the U.S. Defense Department announced Monday it had reached seven-year procurement contracts with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to increase production quantities and speed up delivery of "critical subcomponents" for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor systems. The Washington Post reported Sunday that the Iran war "has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors" and long-range Tomahawk missiles. "The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate," the Post reported.
The war has continued for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments. Brent crude futures with November expiry traded 3.2% higher at $90.90 per barrel following the latest flare-up.
Source: CNBC
