Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed on Sunday that it had attacked an unmanned US military vessel attempting to enter a restricted area of the Strait of Hormuz, an assertion the US military dismissed as a “total lie”.
Iranian state television cited the IRGC as describing the target as an “American military unmanned surface vessel” operated remotely. The statement said the vessel had been attempting to enter what Iran considers a “protected area” of the strait.
“The report came from Iranian state media and it’s a total lie,” US Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said, denying that an American vessel had been struck.
The claim followed an exchange of attacks involving US warships and Iranian oil tankers. Late on Saturday, the IRGC said it had targeted three oil tankers travelling through what it described as “unauthorised routes” in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US naval vessels in other areas.
Iran described those attacks as retaliation for US strikes on three Iranian oil tankers.
Earlier on Saturday, CENTCOM said US forces had struck three Iranian crude oil tankers after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles towards a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. It said both warships evaded the attacks and no American personnel were harmed.
CENTCOM said two tankers were permanently disabled, including one off Kharg Island, a key hub for Iranian oil exports, while a third unladen tanker was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was directed to abandon the vessel.