US, Iran Exchange First Attacks in a Month

The uneasy lull between Washington and Tehran just broke, the New York Times reports. US Central Command says American forces on Sunday hit two Iranian rocket launchers they say were preparing to drop sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments. Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed "punishment," and state media reported two people were killed, a claim the Pentagon has not confirmed.

Hours later, Iran fired several missiles toward Jordan, all intercepted, according to a person briefed on the strike. Iran claimed it fired on two US military bases in the country, CBS News reports. A retired US senior naval officer who spoke to Al Jazeera says the choice of Jordan is "a political statement" by Iran. The attack, he says, was carried out "with malice aforethought, not necessarily to impose damage on the Americans, but to tell the Jordanians: Are you sure you want to support the Americans?"

The exchange was the first acknowledged US attack on Iran in a month and comes after a short-lived deal to keep the strait open collapsed, leading the US to restore a blockade and Iran to try charging ships for passage. Shipping remains risky, with dozens of vessel attacks and growing diversions around the chokepoint.