US CENTCOM rejects IRGC claim of aggression, defends strikes on mine-laying threat in Strait of Hormuz

The US Central Command CENTCOM on Sunday rejected as absolutely false an Iranian claim that US strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC forces involved in alleged minelaying operations in the Strait of Hormuz constituted an act of aggressionIn a post on X CENTCOM said US forces had carried out what it described as limited precise action against IRGC forces that were posing an imminent threat in the strategically important waterwayCLAIM Iranrsquos Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC claimed in a recent statement that strikes by US forces to prevent the IRGC from placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz were an ldquoact of aggressionrdquo This claim is absolutely FALSEFACT US forces took limitedhellip pictwittercomXLx8xNTHtomdash US Central Command CENTCOM August 31 2026The exchange followed a fresh escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran after US forces struck targets on Irans Larak Island and Iran subsequently claimed it had launched ballistic missiles at US military bases in JordanCENTCOM says action targeted alleged minelaying threatCENTCOM said the US military action was aimed at preventing Iranian forces from deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and protecting commercial shippingClaim Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC claimed in a recent statement that strikes by US forces to prevent the IRGC from placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz were an act of aggression This claim is absolutely false CENTCOM saidThe US military command said its forces had acted against what it described as an immediate threat to civilian vessels and international tradeFact US forces took limited precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz In essence Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners commercial shipping and the free flow of global commerce CENTCOM saidIran has disputed the US characterisation of the operation and has described the strikes as an act of aggression against its forces and territoryIran claims retaliation against US bases in JordanThe CENTCOM statement came after US forces struck Larak Island following which Iran claimed it launched ballistic missiles at two US air bases in JordanIranian statelinked broadcaster Press TV citing footage released by the IRGC said the missiles targeted technical and maintenance infrastructure and fighter jet positions at the King Hussein and AlAzraq basesSaudiowned broadcaster Al Arabiya reported that Jordanian air defences intercepted Iranian missile launchesThe Iranian response followed the strikes on Larak Island where Iranian authorities and state media reported casualties Details of the number of people killed and injured were not immediately independently confirmedIranian officials condemn Larak Island strikesIrans state broadcaster IRIB said the US attack on Larak Island took place in two waves It also claimed that sounds heard in the nearby Iranian city of Sirik were linked to Iranian defensive operationsThe counterstrikes followed a statement by the IRGCs Public Relations Department warning of direct vengeance upon criminals and promising the punishment of the aggressorIRGC spokesperson and public relations chief Hossein Mohebbi described the US military action as a grave blunder that coincided with recently imposed US economic measuresThis action was a strategic and fatal error by the Trump regime in the course of the economic war an error that will shift the balance against its planners and will entail heavy costs Mohebbi said The enemy will pay the consequences of this miscalculation in both the economic and military arenasUS strikes reportedly targeted launchers on Larak IslandEarlier on Sunday US forces carried out strikes on Larak Island targeting two Iranian missile launchers according to CNN which cited an American officialThe island is located near the northern edge of the Strait of Hormuz a major global shipping chokepoint that has become a central focus of tensions between the US and IranFox News reported that the strikes were launched after US officials observed IRGC forces allegedly preparing to fire rockets and deploy sea mines in the waterwayIran has not accepted the US account of the circumstances surrounding the operation and has maintained that Washingtons military action was an act of aggressionStrait of Hormuz remains at centre of escalating tensionsThe Strait of Hormuz is one of the worlds most strategically important maritime passages carrying a significant share of global oil and energy supplies Any disruption to commercial traffic through the waterway has the potential to affect global energy markets and regional securityThe latest military exchange comes as the US has also increased economic pressure on TehranOn August 24 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Operation Economic Outcast a campaign aimed at restricting Irans access to global financial networks and reducing revenue available to the Iranian governmentWith inputs from ANI