US Strikes Iranian Island, Killing at Least Two

The United States has launched a drone attack on Iran’s Larek Island, killing at least two people, according to Iranian state media and US officials cited by Axios. The strike was confirmed early Monday by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which called the assault a “terrorist aggression” that will be “punished.” The attack targeted the island near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for global oil shipments and a flashpoint in the ongoing US-Iran conflict. The Revolutionary Guard said the strike caused deaths and injuries but did not give exact figures. Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported two Iranians were killed. In a later statement, a Guard spokesman described the attack as a “strategic and fatal mistake.” A US military official told Al Jazeera that Washington aimed to destroy two rocket launchers stationed on the island, a claim echoed by Axios. This is the first known US strike on Iran since late July, when media reported bombings on dozens of Revolutionary Guard military targets. The attack follows the collapse of peace talks and the expiration of a 60-day ceasefire, after which Washington announced a new round of severe sanctions against Tehran. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later clarified that the Pentagon does not rule out further “kinetic attacks” if necessary, signaling continued military pressure alongside economic measures.