US launches strikes on Iran’s rocket launchers in first blitz in a month as Trump reignites war after ‘sea mine fears’

DONALD Trump has reignited his war with Iran by launching strikes on the twisted regime for the first time in a month. US forces targeted Tehran’s rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz after reported intelligence that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps were preparing to deploy sea mines in the crucial waterway. Donald Trump has reignited his war with Iran by launching strikes on the twisted regime for the first time in a month Credit: Splash Vessels travel near the Strait of Hormuz Credit: Reuters The US military has spent weeks clearing sea mines from the highly contested strait to allow for the free movement of vessels patrolling the international shipping route. Several major explosions were heard on Larak Island which sits on the strait. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Two Iranian rocket launchers were destroyed in the attacks, according to an anonymous US official. Iran said several of its fighters had been killed and badly wounded in the blasts. They vowed to meet the aggression with a “response and punishment”. The last US strikes on Iran came in late July as the war has reached a stalemate. Trump has changed tack in recent weeks, announcing crippling plans to launch a crushing “Operation Economic Outcast” on Iran. The US has vowed to place crippling sanctions on any country propping up the regime. Most read in The Sun US forces blasting an Iranian naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz they claim was preparing to deploy sea mines Credit: AFP A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran, on March 3 as the war continues to rage on Credit: AFP With the war dragging on to the six-month mark, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” as a “warning shot” to Iran‘s allies. Bessent said that the US was giving them a chance to “remedy bad behaviour” but stopped short of naming specific countries or laying out a timeline. Bessent declined to answer whether the move would target China, which bought 80 per cent of Iran’s ship oil last year. But he said: “We want to make clear that no one is above the reach of US sanctions.” Negotiations to end the war continue to move slowly as Iran refuse to give up their nuclear ambitions and uranium stockpiles. Another major sticking point remains the Strait of Hormuz. Around 20 per cent of the world’s oil passes through the strait – meaning prolonged disruption will harm global economies. Comment now