US and Iran trade fire for the first time since July

Six months after the Iran war began, the United States appears more focused on economically choking the regime than on direct strikes. But a new skirmish has served as a reminder that the war remains a very real conflict. On Sunday, U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launch sites on Larak Island, Axios reported first and the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later confirmed.

Shortly thereafter, the Islamic Republic responded by launching missiles against Jordan, a U.S. ally, which managed to intercept them. Hours later, the Iranian army said it had launched a drone attack in the early hours of Monday against the Al Minhad base, in the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported citing a military statement aired on Iranian state television.

These are the first attacks between both enemies in a month. The renewed skirmishes made the price of oil surge past $90 a barrel at various moments on trading floors.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted an A.I.-made video that claimed the total destruction of the Iranian island of Kharg, the country’s main oil export center. A high-ranking Iranian official called the video “ridiculous.” Several hours later, there was no evidence Kharg had been attacked, said Reuters.

The Revolutionary Guard, the parallel army that underpins the Islamic regime and controls between 20% and 30% of the country’s economy, said the strike on Larak Island left several fighters and civilians dead and wounded, state broadcaster IRIB reported. Although the corps did not provide an exact casualty figure, the Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the body, reported two dead and two wounded.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the pivotal point demonstrating how far the United States has fallen short of its strategic objectives in the war that it began on February 28 with Israel, its ally.

Beyond the undeniable success of decapitating the regime in those early days with the death of its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic has shown a notable capacity to endure. Today, with Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali’s son, at the helm, it appears stronger than before the war. The regime change that President Donald Trump once at times set as a goal now seems even more distant than before the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil flowed before the war began — remains closed today, causing severe damage to both the U.S. and the global economy. This comes with two months remaining until the critical midterm elections in the U.S.

The operation on Larak Island was reported the same day that The Washington Post published revealing information about growing unease within the U.S. military over a war that was supposed to last only a few days and has now continued for more than half a year with no sign of ending soon. According to the newspaper, senior military leaders warned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about the risks of extending large-scale operations in Iran. They say such a course is unsustainable and risks undermining the ability to address threats in other regions, including on U.S. soil.

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