Iran claims attack on US naval drone in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran said early Sunday that it had attacked an unmanned US naval vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, following American strikes on three Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf.

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targeted three tankers on unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz and three US vessels in other areas

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the remotely operated military surface vessel had tried to enter what it called a protected area of the strategic strait. The claim appeared in a statement carried by Iranian state television.

The Guards had earlier announced that they had targeted three tankers traveling through routes unauthorized by Tehran, as well as three American vessels in other areas. They warned other ships against attempting to pass through waterways that Iran had not approved.

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permanently neutralized

The US military had said it struck three Iranian tankers, permanently disabling two and completely destroying a third. It said the vessels belonged to a covert network that generated several billion dollars for the Revolutionary Guards and their allies. The US military placed one vessel near Kharg Island, home to Iran’s main Gulf oil terminal, another near Jask south of the Strait of Hormuz, and the third in the Gulf of Oman.

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completely destroyed

The Revolutionary Guards confirmed that the American attack had damaged three tankers belonging to Iran. They described it as an act of desperation in response to the closure of the strategic trade route. The latest exchanges came amid a diplomatic stalemate over ending the Middle East conflict, with Washington seeking to increase economic pressure on Tehran. Iran continued blocking the Strait of Hormuz while the United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, and neither side appeared ready to yield.

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an act of desperation in response to the closure