Iran and the United States have traded conflicting claims over fresh attacks in the Persian Gulf, with Tehran alleging damage to American warships while Washington insists that all Iranian strikes against its naval forces failed.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that its naval forces had targeted two US warships and eight other vessels in retaliation for the American destruction of five Iranian oil tankers a day earlier, claiming to have inflicted “heavy damage” on the vessels.
But the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) dismissed the claim as “completely FALSE,” saying no US Navy warship had been struck and that all attempted attacks by the IRGC had failed.
The conflicting accounts came after CENTCOM said American forces had destroyed 10 Iranian tankers in the past week. The US military had also said the crews of the five tankers targeted Tuesday were warned to abandon their vessels before the ships were struck and rendered inoperable.
The latest exchange marks another dangerous escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz emerging as major flashpoints.
The renewed hostilities are linked to the collapse of a ceasefire agreed by both sides in June, which broke down amid disputes over control of shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The latest claims and counterclaims have heightened concerns that continued military action around the waterway could further disrupt regional security and international shipping, as both countries step up their military confrontation.
