Iran-US: Washington Strikes at Hormuz, Tehran Responds with Missiles

The United States and Iran have resumed directly exchanging strikes after more than a month of calm. Washington bombed two launchers operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Iran’s Larak Island, at the heart of the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later, Tehran announced ballistic missile strikes against two US bases in Jordan.

At the center of the renewed confrontation is a serious accusation: according to CENTCOM, Iranian forces were preparing to deploy new naval mines along one of the most sensitive commercial routes on the planet.

Iran and the United States offer two different accounts of the attacks

Tehran portrays the US strikes as another attack on Iranian forces operating on their own territory. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced casualties and promised a response to what it described as a serious provocation.

This new escalation comes as Bref Crypto was already watching Bitcoin at $80,000 while Washington struck Iran.

Washington’s account is almost exactly the opposite.

According to information reported by Reuters, US forces had observed IRGC units preparing launchers capable of firing rockets carrying naval mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. The United States therefore says it neutralized an imminent threat to civilian and commercial shipping.

The incident comes as the United States had just claimed to have completed the clearance of the strait’s international shipping routes. Donald Trump had warned several days earlier that any further Iranian attempt would be met with force.

This tension around Hormuz had already strongly influenced Bitcoin when Bref Crypto analyzed the easing of tensions between Washington and Tehran in July.

Tehran quickly chooses to retaliate

There was not much of a wait.

The IRGC claims to have launched ballistic missiles at the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan in response to the strikes on Larak. Jordanian authorities say they intercepted several projectiles, while no major casualties were reported in the first few hours.

This sequence marks the first direct military exchange of this scale between Washington and Tehran since late July.

The risk extends far beyond the two militaries. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s main energy transit points. Its traffic has already been severely disrupted since the beginning of the conflict.

Reuters reports that Brent jumped to around $89.38 after the new strikes, while Asian markets declined.

Hormuz puts markets under pressure again

Oil had briefly risen above $90 during the escalation. That is why this battle over a few launchers extends far beyond Larak.

A new prolonged closure of Hormuz could push energy prices higher, rekindle inflation and complicate US monetary policy. For Bitcoin and crypto, this transmission chain is now well known: higher oil prices, expectations of higher interest rates, a stronger dollar and potential pressure on risk assets.

Bref Crypto had already observed this dynamic when Bitcoin fell under the combined pressure of oil and US interest rates.

For now, one point remains impossible to independently determine: were Iranian forces actually going to mine the strait at the precise moment of the attack? Washington says they were. Tehran denies it and calls the strikes an act of aggression.

What is clear is more concerning: after several weeks of relative calm, the Americans and Iranians are directly striking each other again. And once again, the Strait of Hormuz is right at the center of it.

In brief

• The United States struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island.
• Tehran says it retaliated against two US bases in Jordan.
• Washington accuses the IRGC of preparing a new deployment of naval mines.
• Brent jumped after this new escalation around the Strait of Hormuz.