US Strikes IRGC Positions in Strait of Hormuz to Prevent Sea Mine Deployments

US military forces struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps positions in the Strait of Hormuz after observing IRGC units preparing to launch rockets armed with sea mines into the waterway. The strikes escalate an ongoing military campaign that began on June 26, 2026, which has targeted over 80 Iranian military assets including anti-ship missiles, drones, air defense systems, and coastal radar installations. A US-enforced blockade of Iranian oil exports has resulted in zero tracked Iranian crude moving through the strait by late August, halting traffic in a chokepoint that normally handles roughly one-fifth of the global daily oil supply. The military escalation follows the collapse of a mid-June interim memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, expanding US operational scope to include critical infrastructure like railway bridges. The regional blockade is actively affecting supply chains for US allies like Bahrain and Kuwait, restricting their ability to move domestic oil and gas resources to international markets.