US Strikes Iranian Rocket Launchers    08/31 06:13

   U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their 
first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during 
an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Vowing to retaliate 
for what it called a deadly attack, Iran later said it had launched missiles at 
U.S. sites in Jordan.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait 
of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull 
in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. 
Vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack, Iran later said it had 
launched missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan.

   Forces with the Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to launch 
rockets with sea mines into the strait, according to Tim Hawkins, a 
spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military last week 
completed clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping routes.

   Semiofficial news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near Larak 
island on the strait. The Guard in a statement carried by Iran's state 
broadcaster noted "the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and 
compatriots."

   Later, Iranian state television showed what it said were ballistic missiles 
being fired by Iran at U.S. bases in Jordan in response to the American 
strikes. Jordan's armed forces said they intercepted eight missiles that 
penetrated the country's airspace early Monday in the Mideast.

   U.S. military officials disputed Iran's claim that the latest American 
strikes were an act of aggression, calling them a "limited, precise action" 
against what they said were minelaying forces.

   "In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it to 
protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global 
commerce," U.S. Central Command said in a statement late Sunday.

   A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has 
targeted U.S. military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the war 
began on Feb. 28.

   The last time the U.S. military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29, 
when it announced a "heavy wave of strikes" on dozens of Revolutionary Guard 
targets including coastal surveillance and defense sites. On Aug. 1, U.S. 
President Donald Trump said he would order the military to hold off on new 
strikes at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab 
Emirates.

   The US had turned to economic pressure

   The attack comes just days after the Trump administration said it would turn 
its focus to increasing economic pressure -- rather than military action -- to 
try to end its war with Iran. The shifting strategy centers on threats to 
punish any country or entity that continues to conduct business with Tehran.

   Sunday's attack was a "fatal mistake by the Trump regime during the economic 
war" and the enemy will pay the consequences militarily and economically, a 
Guard spokesperson, Gen. Hossein Mohebi, said in a statement carried by Iranian 
media.

   The U.S. turn to using sanctions came as the administration weighs 
diminished munitions stockpiles after months of war, sparking concerns that the 
prolonged conflict could undermine U.S. military readiness in other parts of 
the globe.

   As the conflict grinds on, Trump's talk of finding a quick end to the war 
also appears to be fading. He stressed last week that he's "not in a hurry" to 
get Iran back to the negotiating table, and he continues making the case that 
the Islamic Republic's leadership is on the ropes.

   Appointments to Iran's senior security leadership in the past month, 
however, have signaled Tehran's defiance after weathering decades of sanctions 
as well as a lack of tolerance for dissent at home.

   Trump has consistently emphasized that the U.S. and Israeli campaign has 
been devastating for Iran's navy and air force. Iranian officials have said the 
country has suffered $270 billion in direct and indirect damage. Israeli 
military strikes in the first weeks of the war wiped out much of the theocratic 
government's leadership structure.

   Iran leans on the strait for leverage

   But Iran has found leverage through its strikes against vessels on the 
Strait of Hormuz, where relatively few ships carrying oil and liquefied natural 
gas are risking passage. Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at 
vessels transiting the waterway through which 20% of the world's oil normally 
flows.

   Crude oil prices rose Sunday in response to the U.S. attack. The price for a 
barrel of U.S. oil went up 1.8% to $84.94, while the price for a barrel of 
Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1.9% to $89.79.

   Tehran continues to assert that even after it works out a management plan 
for the strait with Oman, its neighbor on the other side of the waterway, the 
U.S. can't use it until it fulfills its obligations under the memorandum of 
understanding the countries signed in mid-June.

   Trump has repeatedly declared that the "Strait of Hormuz is open," saying 24 
vessels passed through last week. But that's a fraction of the roughly 130 
vessels that transited daily before the war began.

   Earlier on Sunday, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy said 
commercial traffic through the strait remained at "reduced levels."

   And a monitoring agency run by the British military said an unknown 
projectile struck a tanker ship on Saturday north of Khasab, Oman, in the 
strait. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said no casualties or 
environmental impact had been reported, and cited unspecified military 
authorities. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

   The U.S. military said that as of Sunday, it had redirected 83 commercial 
vessels and disabled three under its blockade of Iranian ports.