Iranian forces strike US naval drone near Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps says it attacked a US unmanned surface vessel as it tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz, amid escalating confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The move follows US strikes a day earlier on three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for missile attacks on two navy warships.
Iran said on Sunday that its forces had targeted a US naval drone attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate once more.
In a statement carried by state television, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck an unmanned surface vessel off Iran's southern coast as it approached the strategically vital waterway. The statement warned that the United States, described as an aggressor, had no option but to withdraw from the region and halt what it called acts of mischief.
The IRGC noted this followed earlier strikes it carried out on three oil tankers and three vessels linked to the US operating in the strait, and it has repeated warnings against ships attempting to pass through the chokepoint via unauthorised routes.
The latest incidents mark the newest flashpoint in a renewed standoff between the two countries. On Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to ballistic missile strikes it said the IRGC had launched against two US navy warships.
CENTCOM said it had permanently disabled the IRGC oil carriers M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and had completely destroyed the unladen carrier M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman after ordering its crew to abandon ship. It added that a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer had evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks, with no American personnel harmed.
The current round of confrontation reignited last Sunday when US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC later confirmed the strikes had hit Larak Island, prompting retaliatory Iranian attacks on US bases across the Middle East.
On Saturday, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned Tehran and its oil fleet, saying any attack on two American ships would be met with the destruction of three Iranian vessels, and that US forces would not hesitate to defend themselves or, if necessary, destroy Iran's limited oil fleet.