ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed a response after members of its force were killed in a reported US strike on Larak Island in Iran’s south, state media announced late Sunday, one hour after an IRGC-affiliated media reported the strike.
“In an act of aggression” an attack on Larak Island resulted in the killing and injury of several IRGC members, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said, carrying a statement from the IRGC.
“This act will be answered by the sons of Islamic Iran and will result in the punishment of the aggressor,” the statement added.
Earlier, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency announced that “two people have been killed and two others injured” in the American “drone attack” on the Island, hinting at a possible rise in the toll.
Furthermore, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced earlier in the day that it received a delayed report about a tanker being hit on Saturday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the center of contentions between the US and Iran since the outbreak of the regional hostilities in late February.
Sunday’s escalation comes as tensions between Washington and Iran had entered a period of calm after 13 consecutive days of tit-for-tat strikes in July. Both sides have allowed a breathing space for diplomacy spearheaded by regional mediators.
The US has maintained its most recent naval blockade on Iranian southern ports since mid-July, less than a month after it signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MoU) extending the fragile ceasefire agreed to in April while simultaneously allowing for negotiations between Iran and Oman to present a mechanism for transit in the Strait of Hormuz.
As of Friday, US forces have redirected 81 ships entering and leaving Iranian ports while disabling three and boarding two others, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, in his visit last week to Tehran, discussed “a phased framework aimed at providing a practical and actionable basis” for the waterway with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, which encompasses establishing “a temporary joint maritime corridor through the Strait of Hormuz” and a joint mine-clearing project.
Albusaidi and Aragchi also pointed to the continuation of the “technical negotiations” toward “a permanent maritime corridor and future management arrangements for the Strait,” their joint statement read on Tuesday.
Maritime activities in the Strait of Hormuz have been largely impeded as Washington and Tehran have resumed imposing unilateral and counter restrictions.
Iranian Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in mid-August said Iran will enforce the restrictions “until the United States lifts its blockade, ends sanctions, and releases frozen assets of the Islamic Republic.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump ruled out ongoing negotiations with Iran while saying that maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz has been normalized.
"There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on August 18, adding that the naval blockade "remains in full force and effect."
Trump on Tuesday stated that the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains open and that "all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz."
Last updated at 12:04am
