US-Iran war: Why Larak Island, Jordan and Egypt’s Banque Misr are targets of latest flare-up | Today’s news
In the first known U.S. military strikes since late July, a U.S. official said forces attacked two Iranian launch sites on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. “US forces conducted limited and precise strikes against IRGC mine-laying forces that pose an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said Monday.
Iran said in a statement issued by Iran’s state radio station that several Revolutionary Guards and Iranian civilians were killed and wounded in the US attack on Larak Island.
Quick answers to key questions
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The U.S. military strikes on Larak Island were prompted by Iranian forces laying mines in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. High Command identified as an imminent threat.
Larak Island is strategically important because it overlooks shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for global energy supplies, and serves as a monitoring point for Iranian military activities.
In response to the US strikes, Iran fired ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan, specifically targeting the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases.
The US sanctions against Banque Misr’s branches in the United Arab Emirates are aimed at cutting off Iran’s access to the US financial system and targeting the bank for allegedly facilitating financial activities linked to Iran.
The US plans to impose new sanctions on various entities, including banks, on a weekly basis to increase economic pressure on Iran and isolate its financial networks.
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In retaliation, Iran remained defiant and fired ballistic missiles at two American bases in Jordan. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said a combined missile and drone operation, dubbed “Punishment of the Aggressor”, hit the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan. Jordan said it had intercepted eight missiles shortly after the IRGC announced the attack.
Later on Monday, Iran said it launched attacks on the United Arab Emirates, targeting “areas where US helicopters and personnel at the Al Minhad base are stationed, using dozens of attack drones,” state television said. The military said the attacks were in retaliation for a US attack on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
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The exchange of attacks is the first flare-up of violence between Iran and the US since late July. The last time the US military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29, when it announced a “heavy wave of strikes” on dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets.
In addition to the military strikes, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US is planning new secondary sanctions every week. His comments came days after the US imposed sanctions on Egypt’s Banque Misr branches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over alleged financial ties to Iran.
Why did the US target Larak Island in Iran? Why did Iran specifically target Jordan in retaliation? And what do the American sanctions against banks mean?
Why did the US attack Larak Island? Why is this island important?
On Monday, the US military denied that its attacks on Larak Island on Sunday were an “act of aggression”. US Central Command (Centcom) said on the X program that the US had taken “limited and precise action” to prevent Iranian forces from laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and blamed the attacks on Iran.
Larak Island is a strategically important small island in the Strait of Hormuz near the port of Bandar Abbas overlooking the shipping lanes at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Larak lies to the east of Qeshm Island and south of Hormuz Island.
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Larak Island, located about 660 km (410 miles) east of Kharg Island, is the focal point of Iran’s monitoring of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. It thus plays a key role in tensions over Iran, maritime security and global energy supplies.
Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, told Al Jazeera that the US struck Larak Island because “I believe Iran has dispersed its assets there to control the Strait of Hormuz.”
He was quoted as saying that the US was trying to degrade not only Iran’s ability to strike, but also its ability to monitor and surveil ships passing through Hormuz.
Azodi said the island follows a pattern since July, when the entire southern coast of Iran was on the US target list.
He said US claims that Iran was about to lay mines were credible, adding that he “wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to assert their power and control over the Strait”.
Why did Iran target Jordan in retaliatory attacks?
Asked if Iran was waiting for an opening to hit Jordan, Sina Azodi said Tehran’s war plans “were made in advance.”
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride analyzed the latest escalation in the conflict, saying Jordan has been “very much on the front line” since February, with missiles exchanged between Israel and Iran crossing its airspace and some being intercepted over its territory.
In addition, Jordan hosts about 4,000 US personnel at two main bases, Azraq and King Hussein, along with drones, fighter jets and Patriot air defenses, the report added.
Forces have been moved there from more exposed positions in the Persian Gulf because it “keeps them still in place but not in such a vulnerable position,” McBride said.
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It also made the country a repeat target, Al Jazeera reported. Its bases have been hit before and there have been several American casualties in the war.
Amman, Jordan’s capital and largest city, is a close U.S. ally and benefits financially from the bases, although its relationship with Israel “leaves a lot to be desired,” McBride said. Like many Gulf states, McBride said, it is coping with the cost of hosting American forces.
“As we’ve seen, it can sometimes become a liability in addition to being an asset,” he said.
The return to hostilities came soon after the Trump administration stepped up efforts to punish Iran and its trading partners with economic sanctions.
The United States launched “Operation Economic Outcast” last week in an effort to squeeze out the remaining sources of revenue that still provide funding to the Iranian government.
US sanctions on banks
On Friday, the US Treasury Department decided to cut off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr from the US financial system as part of sanctions against Iran.
Banque Misr is Egypt’s second largest bank. The move affects the bank’s UAE branches and blocks their banking access to US financial institutions.
The Finance Ministry called Banque Misr a “key financial lifeline” for the regime, as it allegedly processed around $1.8 billion for 103 companies that could be part of Iran’s shadow banking networks.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Associated Press on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to impose sanctions on another bank this week as it steps up efforts to isolate Iran economically.
“If we have to, it will be financial violence,” Bessent said in an interview. “We’re showing people that we know who you are, you know who you are, and this has to stop,” he added.
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Later, Bessent told Reuters that the US Treasury Department was likely to unveil new secondary sanctions every week aimed at increasing economic pressure on Iran, initially targeting banks.
“You’re going to see a lot more of them every week,” Bessent said ahead of a meeting of G20 financial leaders. “We’re starting with the banks and telling the banks that it’s not OK to have Iranian money and help the regime.”
Bessent said he intended to send a message to G20 finance ministers and central bank governors to cut economic ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions.
About the Iran-American War
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Iran responded with strikes of its own against Israel and the Gulf states that host US bases. The war in Iran is now six months old.
US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. According to reports, 18 US service members were killed in the conflict.
The war led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which before the conflict served to transit about a fifth of the world’s oil reserves. The waterway carried nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before it was blocked by the six-month-long war with Iran.
While Trump has repeatedly stated that the Strait of Hormuz is open, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy has called those statements “blatant lies” and reiterated that it remains closed to ships without Iranian permission.
(With input from agencies)
