Middle East war: US, Iran exchange strikes for first time in one month

United States military struck what it described as Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in the first military action in a month on Sunday, August 30, 2026, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months.

Iran also launched retaliatory attacks against U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, further escalating tensions in the region.

Iranian media initially reported that Tehran fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan. The Iranian Foreign Ministry later said the bases were used to support and launch the operation against Larak Island, warning that any further military aggression would trigger retaliation.

The ministry added that countries assisting U.S. military actions would be held responsible for any escalation of the conflict.

Iran’s military also claimed it carried out a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates’ Al Minhad Air Base, saying the facility housed U.S. forces and helicopters.

The attack, according to Tehran, was in response to the killing of members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and civilians during the Larak Island strike.

The UAE Ministry of Defence later confirmed that its air force intercepted a drone over its territorial waters after it entered from Tehran, but provided no further details about the incident.

The latest confrontation followed a U.S. strike on two launchers on Larak Island on Sunday. A U.S. official said the targets were linked to preparations by the Revolutionary Guard Corps to launch rockets and sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

“I can confirm that earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island,” the official told Reuters, adding that the action was aimed at preventing attacks on the strategic waterway.

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Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the U.S. operation was carried out using drones, while the Revolutionary Guards said the attack killed and injured several soldiers and civilians.

The renewed hostilities come after weeks of heightened pressure from the Trump administration, which had focused mainly on economic sanctions against Tehran and its allies before the latest military exchange.

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the crisis. The key shipping route previously handled about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the conflict began in late February.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said the waterway is open and that sea mines placed by Iran have been removed. However, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy rejected the claim, saying the strait remains closed to vessels without Tehran’s approval.

Ongoing attacks and security concerns have forced many shipping companies to avoid the route, raising fears of further disruptions to global energy supplies.