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U.S. Forces Target Iranian Launchers; Iran Retaliates Against U.S. Military Targets in the Region

HeadlineAug 31, 2026

U.S. forces targeted two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, a U.S. official confirmed. It’s the first U.S. strike on Iran in over a month. Iran retaliated by striking U.S. forces based in Jordan and U.S. military targets at the Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE.

It comes as The Washington Post reports that several U.S. military leaders — the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America — warned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that prolonging the war against Iran is unsustainable, as it weakens the U.S.’s ability to respond to threats. Meanwhile, Iranian leaders acknowledged foreign trade has shrunk by a third due to U.S. sanctions and blockade.

This is Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

President Masoud Pezeshkian: “We do not seek war. That has been our message to the world until now. However, in the face of aggression, we will not stand by. We are capable of delivering a decisive response. Instability in this region would affect everyone and create serious problems. Instability is in no country’s interest.”

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