U.S. Central Command confirmed Monday that American forces launched strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets inside Iran, saying the action followed attempted IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on U.S. service members in the region.
“Today at 12 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. “The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”
President Donald Trump confirmed the operation in a post on Truth Social, describing the strikes as “large and powerful” and framing them as retaliation for an Iranian attempt to plant sea mines in the strait.
“The United States is, as we speak, striking Iranian Targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!), and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan.”
According to Axios, the strikes are part of a broader plan that Trump and senior aides have been weighing for days: limited military action in the Strait of Hormuz meant to stop Iran from rebuilding the radar and missile systems it would need to threaten ships passing through the waterway. A U.S. official told Axios the goal is “to reduce the risk” that Iran could strike not just oil tankers but U.S. Navy ships and Air Force aircraft.
Earlier this week, Trump indicated he had ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran. Asked about the possibility by a reporter, he said, “They’re totally defeated militarily, so now I defeat them and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them?”
The exchange of fire has escalated over recent days. The United States and Iran had already been trading strikes, with the IRGC launching ballistic missiles and drones at two U.S.-operated air bases in Jordan. That attack came after U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, where IRGC forces had reportedly been preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
