Secret agents are attacking each other.

US President Donald Trump announced “large and massive” attacks against Iran, describing them as retaliation for failed attempts by Iranian forces to plant sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports from his social media platform Truth Social, the strikes targeted Iranian radar and missile capabilities with the aim of permanently disabling them. The attacks were carried out near the strategic waterway, which is vital for global oil trade. Trump also cited a recent Iranian rocket strike on U.S. military bases in Jordan, which was successfully intercepted, as justification for the offensive action. He warned Iran against further attacks, stating that should the country retaliate, it would face even harsher consequences. Trump emphasized that while the current strikes were significant, an even larger operation was still in preparation, and once completed, “very little of the Islamic Republic will remain.” The Iranian Revolutionary Guard claimed that U.S. forces had bombed several locations, including civilian areas, thereby intensifying the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. State-run media reported explosions in multiple regions, including the island of Gheschm, the city of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz, and other areas such as Konarak and Tschabahar. Explosions were also reported on the island of Lavan in the Persian Gulf. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting U.S. military installations in the region. Iranian state media described the attacks as part of a “decisive military operation,” with the armed forces and the military intelligence headquarters Chatam al-Anbija declaring that the enemy would suffer devastating blows as more chaos was created by the United States. The Revolutionary Guard also threatened the U.S. with severe punishment. According to the U.S.-based news outlet Axios, the attacks were part of a broader plan being considered by Trump and senior advisors. This strategy aimed at limiting Iranian efforts to rebuild its radar and missile capabilities, thus reducing the risk of Iranian attacks on oil tankers and U.S. military assets. A U.S. official told Axios that the goal was to deter potential aggression through limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. This marks the first instance of mutual attacks between the U.S. and Iran since late July. On the night of September 1, U.S. forces reportedly attacked units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran fired rockets at U.S. military bases in Jordan, which were intercepted according to Jordanian authorities. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj condemned a deadly shoot-out between members of two Ukrainian intelligence agencies, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). The incident occurred in Kyiv and resulted in multiple casualties. Selenskyj called the situation “absolutely scandalous” and demanded an investigation into why agents from both services engaged in a shooting exchange involving injuries. He stated that in Ukraine, fire can only be directed at Russian occupiers to defend the nation. The SBU initially reported that it had, together with HUR, prevented a planned attack by Russian intelligence on a Russian opposition figure, believed to be a high-ranking officer of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), which fights alongside Ukrainian forces. However, subsequent reports indicated that SBU operatives were attacked during an investigation into a plot against the RDK’s deputy commander, leading to a shootout where several attackers were injured and identified as military personnel. The head of the SBU department responsible for protecting state secrets, Oleg Khramov, was dismissed following the incident. The HUR, which oversees the RDK, has not yet officially commented on the incident. The whereabouts of the officer who was allegedly kidnapped remain unknown. The attorney for the accused, Stepan Kaplunov, alleged that three HUR members were wounded in the shooting, two seriously. The HUR’s special unit “Timur,” to which the RDK belongs, later claimed that SBU agents had opened fire on unarmed HUR officers, accusing the SBU of “kidnapping” Kaplunov. The SBU denied these claims, calling them an attempt to justify a potentially illegal arrest and a PR campaign.