Iran says it launched missiles at two US bases in Jordan following a US attack on Larak Island in southern Iran earlier on Sunday.

In a statement reported by Iranian news agencies on Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the combined missile and drone operation, which it called “Punishment of the Aggressor”, hit the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan.

The exchange of attacks is the first flare-up in violence between the two sides since late July.

The IRGC said the strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites”, inflicting significant damage.

Jordan reported intercepting eight missiles soon after the IRGC announced the attack.

“Air defence systems intercepted eight missiles that breached the Kingdom’s airspace at dawn today, Monday,” the Jordanian military said in a statement.

No injuries were reported at either base.

In a further development on Monday, the IRGC said it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Fars and Mehr news agencies cited a statement from the IRGC that said that its air defences had intercepted “a long-range American MQ9 drone” over the Strait of Hormuz, which then fell into the Gulf.

In his first comments since the US attack on Iran’s Larak Island, President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran was “not looking for war”, but would “never sit still in the face of any aggression” either.

Pezeshkian made the comments as he was leaving for Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, to attend the summit of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries.

Tehran has promised to retaliate for Sunday’s US attack on Larak Island.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform on Monday, seemingly depicting the bombing of Iran’s Kharg Island.

Screenshot of Truth Social post on US President Donald Trump’s account

The footage shows an oil storage tank and an oil tanker exploding, as watched from aircraft above.

“Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,” the post reads.

There was no other evidence that the Iranian energy hub was under attack.

Before the war started, Kharg Island handled the majority of Iran’s oil exports, making it a vital economic node.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to seize or destroy the island since the start of the war.

The strikes risk renewing the military confrontation as Washington shifts from its bombing campaign to a financial pressure strategy on Tehran, and as the US-Israel war on Iran enters its seventh month.

On Monday, the US military denied that its Sunday attacks were an “act of aggression”.

US Central Command (Centcom) said on X that the US took “limited, precise action” to prevent Iranian forces from laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and blamed Iran for the attacks.

Iran’s Fars news agency said that the attack by the “American-Zionist enemy” killed and injured soldiers, without providing a figure.

In recent weeks, Washington has been claiming control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying that millions of barrels of oil have passed through the waterway under US military protection despite Tehran’s blockade.

Still, attacks on ships in the strait have been reported almost daily, and Iran has maintained that the waterway is closed.

Sunday’s strikes show that the US is still willing to use military force despite the intensified sanctions to pressure Iran to make concessions over its nuclear programme and claims of control over Hormuz.

Iran has previously responded to similar US attacks by launching missiles and drones at military bases hosting US troops in neighbouring countries.

Last week, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced a push to isolate Iran financially by threatening secondary sanctions against countries and companies that do business with Tehran.

But Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has warned that the US is prepared to use military force if necessary.

US officials have been touting what they describe as Tehran’s loss of control over the Strait of Hormuz, while arguing that Iran is on the verge of economic collapse due to sanctions and the US Navy’s blockade of its ports.

Tehran, however, has remained defiant, stressing that it is prepared for a long conflict.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed reports that the US is managing to get large amounts of oil through the strait.

“Our intelligence shows major efforts to game energy markets,” Araghchi wrote on X. “US Govt elements use gullible media to influence prices for personal gain and keep [Trump] mired in a losing war. Israel-aligned actors also promote war with rosy assessments. U.S. consumers feel the real bottom line.”

Despite the reports of the US ending – or at least easing – Iran’s control of the strategic waterway, oil prices have remained high amid supply uncertainty.

The average price of one gallon (3.8 litres) of petrol in the US is still more than $4, up from less than $3 when the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in late February.

The skyrocketing energy prices, which are driving up inflation in the US, could hurt Trump’s Republican Party’s chances of maintaining control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. (Al Jazeera)