Iran punishes Jordan & UAE for American strike on Larak Island | Gravitas

After a month-long lull in the West Asia war, fighting resumed once again, as US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, claiming that the IRGC was preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

This triggered an immediate fierce retaliation by Iran on US bases in Jordan and UAE.

Now, Larak is a strategic island along the Strait of Hormuz.

According to reports, this island is home to multiple IRGC facilities and is used to observe and respond to shipping activity in and around Hormuz.

While CENTCOM justified its strike, citing the need to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping and free flow of global commerce, IRGC said that the attack injured and killed several soldiers and civilians.

This is not all.

US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video claiming that Kharg Island, which caters to 90% of Iran's oil exports, was being blown to smithereens.

While US refused to confirm such a strike, Iran outrightly dismissed Trump's claim as laughable.

In response, Iran claimed to have launched an attack on the King Hussein and Al azraq bases in Jordan.

Iranian state media released these visuals of ballistic missiles being fired at these American bases.

According to IRGC, these sites were used to launch and support the attack on Larak Island.

Additionally, the Iranian army claimed to have conducted a drone attack on UAE's Al-minhad air base, where US forces and helicopters were reportedly stationed.

Although UAE's ministry of defence denied this claim, it claimed to have intercepted an Iranian drone over the country's territorial waters and termed it a 'dangerous escalation'.

Condemning the US strike on Larak Island, Iran's ministry of foreign affairs asserted that it would respond decisively to any military aggression by US.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also made it clear that his country does not desire a war. In a key development, Pezeshkian met PM Modi on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek.

This is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since the war began in February.

PM Modi expressed concern at escalation of tensions and reiterated that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

On his part, the Iranian president urged the PM to use India's extensive contacts with various nations to convince them to return to the path of dialogue.

Now, PM Modi also called for safeguarding freedom of navigation and emphasised that seafarers must not be harmed under any circumstances.

This comes barely hours after IRGC announced that an oil tanker caught fire on being hit by two sea mines while attempting to take a non-approved route in Hormuz.

However, CENTCOM rubbished this claim.

At a time when the US weapon stockpiles have depleted and its West Asian military bases have suffered immense damage, Iran has been bolstering its military strength.

In a recent interview, Iran's supreme national security council chief Mohsen Rezai asserted that IRGC has hidden military capabilities underground.

He also revealed that Iran has already upgraded its missiles like Kheiber Shekan and drones based on the lessons from the war.

On the other hand, the mood inside the US military is markedly different.

According to the Washington Post, key military leaders advised US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth against extending operations against Iran.

They reportedly warned him that prolonging the war is unsustainable and risks weakening US military's ability to confront threats elsewhere.

As per the report, US Navy chief Daryl Caudle conveyed to Hegseth that barely one-fourth of the navy's destroyer fleet is ready to deploy...

With Trump saying that US will hit Iran hard after its retaliatory strikes, it appears that we are looking at a fresh phase of limited strikes...