Team Hawkins, the spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said the country’s forces are closely monitoring the Strait of Hormuz and “are prepared to protect the free flow of trade through this vital waterway.”

Hawkins also confirmed that U.S. forces on September 8 targeted two launchers belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Larak Island. He said: “IRGC forces were observed preparing mine-carrying missiles for launching at the Strait of Hormuz.”

The attack was the first by the United States against Iran in about a month. U.S. President Donald Trump had announced the previous week that the country’s navy cleared mines from the main shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Iran about any new attempt to lay mines.