Trump threatens Tehran... and targets Iran's AI "breakthrough"
CENTCOM strikes two Iranian launch platforms in first known attack since July
Washington targets banks as part of “suffocating” Tehran
In the first direct escalation between Washington and Tehran since last July, US airstrikes targeted Larak Island in Iran on the night of Sunday-Monday. Iran retaliated with attacks on neighboring countries, while US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video accompanied by the caption “Larak Island is flattened!” showing massive explosions. Tehran denied that Iran’s oil hub had been hit by any attack.
Trump threatened to retaliate against Tehran for targeting US forces in Jordan, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that continuing the war is not in the interest of his country or the region.
According to Fox News on Monday, Pezeshkian added that all missiles launched by Iran were intercepted, except for one that did not pose a threat.
He continued: “The only thing they have is fake news coming from the United States, and the readiness to kill protesters (the death toll has now exceeded 100,000 people. They must be prosecuted for crimes against humanity!)”.
Economically, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the goal of the sanctions is to “create conditions that make Iran willing to sit at the negotiating table,” hours before a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from G20 countries, which continues until Tuesday.
On Sunday, the Treasury Secretary told Reuters that new secondary sanctions are likely to be announced weekly as part of efforts to pressure Tehran, initially focusing on banks.
He clarified that “the next step could involve completely isolating an institution from the dollar-based financial system.”
Militarily, describing the first known US strikes since late July, a US official said forces attacked two launch platforms on Larak, a small island in the strait located near the port of Bandar Abbas and overlooking shipping lanes at the entrance to the Gulf.
CENTCOM stated it took “limited and precise” action against Revolutionary Guard forces that had laid mines, which posed an “imminent threat” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The command denied Iran’s claim that an oil tanker attempting to cross the southern part of Hormuz had struck two mines, catching fire and coming to a halt.
In Tehran, state media announced retaliation for the attack by targeting two US bases in Jordan.
In Bishkek, Pezeshkian, during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, said: “We continue to pursue a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is not in our interest nor in the interest of the region.”
