US strikes Iranian rocket launchers on Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, AUG 31 (AP): US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Iran swiftly vowed to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack.
Forces with the Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait, according to Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Central Command. The US military last week completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes.
Semiofficial news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near Larak island on the strait. The Guard in a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster noted “the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots.”
Later, Iranian state television showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired by Iran at US bases in Jordan in response to the American strikes. Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight missiles that penetrated the country’s airspace early Monday.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the war began on February 28.
The last time the US military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29, when it announced a “heavy wave of strikes” on dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets including coastal surveillance and defence sites. On August 1, President Donald Trump said he would order the military to hold off on new strikes at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran’s supreme leader calls for Muslim unity against US, Israel
DUBAI, AUG 31 (AP): Iran’s supreme leader called on Muslim countries to stand together against Israel and the United States.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged rulers of Muslim nations to “know your real enemy, understand its plans and confront it,” and called the US and Israel enemies of all Islamic nations, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Six months after the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing Khamenei’s father and other senior leaders, Khamenei still has not been seen publicly.
His comments came in a letter to religious leaders attending a conference in Tehran. The war has exposed divisions in the Muslim world after Iran struck targets in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries and restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.