US forces struck two Iranian Revolutionary Guard rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after they were seen preparing to fire projectiles fitted with sea mines into the waterway, marking Washington's first strikes on Iran in over a month. The clash comes as Donald Trump's war with Iran passes the six-month mark, and just days after his administration signalled it would shift towards economic pressure rather than military action, partly amid concerns over depleted US munitions stockpiles.

US Central Command said forces remain "prepared to protect the free flow of commerce" through the strait, noting the military finished clearing sea mines from shipping routes there last week. Iranian state media reported explosions near Larak island and confirmed casualties among Revolutionary Guard personnel, vowing "punishment of the aggressor." Iran, which Tehran says has suffered $270 billion in war damage, retains enough missiles and drones to threaten the strait, through which 20% of the world's oil normally flows; Trump says 24 vessels passed last week, far below the roughly 130 daily before the war. Separately, Britain's maritime monitoring agency reported an unidentified projectile struck a tanker near Khasab, Oman, on Saturday, with no casualties reported.