Muscat: A US official confirmed that American forces struck two Iranian missile launch platforms on Larak Island on Sunday, marking the first known U.S. military strikes against Iran since late July of the previous year. The small Iranian island, situated near the port of Bandar Abbas, overlooks key maritime navigation routes at the mouth of the Gulf, endowing it with a strategically significant role in the ongoing tensions surrounding Iran, regional maritime security, and global energy supply chains. According to Oman News Agency, Iranian state media reported that Tehran responded by launching an attack on two U.S. military bases in the region. The resurgence of hostilities follows weeks during which the administration of President Donald Trump intensified its campaign to pressure Tehran and its commercial partners through the imposition of high-impact economic sanctions, deliberately opting for financial pressure over military escalation.