Global oil prices rose at least two percent on Monday after the United States struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, ending a weeks-long pause in direct military action and reigniting fears of a prolonged disruption to one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Sunday’s strikes were the first publicly acknowledged US attack on Iranian territory since late July. Two Iranian launchers on the island were destroyed, US Central Command confirmed, after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were seen preparing to fire rockets loaded with sea mines into the waterway.
“US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” Central Command said in a post on X, framing the operation as a defensive measure to prevent a fresh round of explosives from entering the shipping lane.
Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesperson, confirmed the strikes in a message to AFP. “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Hawkins said, adding that CENTCOM had completed clearing the strait’s international routes just days earlier.
The timing matters. Washington spent recent weeks prioritizing financial pressure on Tehran over military force, but Sunday’s action shows that armed strikes remain on the table even as the Trump administration pursues what it has called “economic warfare” against Iran.
Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cost the world significantly since hostilities began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Price hikes and shortages of fertilizer and energy have spread far beyond the Gulf region, touching markets from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa.
Iran‘s IRGC confirmed the Larak Island attack, said it caused casualties, and vowed to respond. By Monday, that response had arrived: Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard said it struck two US military air bases in Jordan with ballistic missiles, claiming “heavy damage” to both facilities.
Jordan’s army confirmed it intercepted eight missiles that morning without identifying their origin. The interception claim and Iran’s claim of heavy damage cannot both be fully accurate, and neither side provided independent verification.
The last US strike before Sunday had come on July 29, itself a response to what the US military described as “an attempted surprise attack on US forces” in the region. Before that, CENTCOM had attacked Iranian positions for 13 consecutive nights earlier in July.
Throughout the six-month war, Iran has consistently hit back at US facilities and allies in the Gulf. Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have all recorded strikes on their territory as Tehran extended its retaliation beyond direct US positions.
An April ceasefire ended the most intense phase of fighting, but sporadic exchanges, mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, have stalled any progress toward a final peace agreement. Sunday’s exchange marks the sharpest flare-up since that ceasefire took hold.
Hawkins, who spoke after the strikes, said US forces remain on alert. “US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he told reporters, pointing to CENTCOM’s recent mine-clearing operation as evidence of ongoing US commitment to the route.
Before the war began, the Strait of Hormuz carried one-fifth of the world’s oil through its narrow channel each day. Iran’s effective blockade since February has forced shipping firms to suspend operations, reroute vessels, and absorb sharp cost increases across global supply chains.
Both main crude oil contracts closed at least 2 percent higher on Monday, a direct market response to Sunday’s exchange. Energy analysts have pointed to the strait’s status as the single most consequential choke point in global oil trade.
The strikes on Larak Island now raise a direct question for global energy markets: whether the US mine-clearing effort announced last week can hold or whether Iran’s renewed minelaying push will force another round of military operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
