US Strikes Iranian Air Defense After Missile Launch Near Hormuz

A direct US-Iran military confrontation has erupted around the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian forces firing an anti-aircraft missile at a US military aircraft, prompting an American strike on Iranian territory. According to a senior American official cited by Axios, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the missile from Qeshm Island, but the US jet was not hit. An American aircraft then destroyed the surface-to-air missile launcher in what Washington described as self-defence. The clash is sensitive because Qeshm sits beside narrow Hormuz shipping lanes, and it comes as Washington and Tehran explore indirect diplomacy. The encounter marks the first direct military exchange in weeks, highlighting how quickly escalation can overtake diplomatic efforts.