The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that a US military unmanned boat was destroyed in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that all US unmanned naval vessels and ships operating in the Middle East remain accounted for and intact.
In a post on its account on the social media platform X, CENTCOM said this includes a fleet of advanced unmanned surface vessels conducting patrols in the Strait of Hormuz in support of the US defense system.
The US Central Command accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of spreading what it described as false claims, pointing to what it said was a repeated pattern of disinformation throughout the current week.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced on Friday that three oil tankers had exploded and caught fire while transiting the Strait of Hormuz through a route it described as unauthorized.
The statements come amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran over maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global energy supplies through which around one-fifth of the world’s consumed oil passes.
The dispute between the two sides centers on shipping routes. Tehran describes some maritime routes as unsafe or unauthorized and calls on vessels to coordinate with its naval forces, while Washington insists on the need to guarantee freedom of navigation, saying its forces are working to secure maritime corridors and clear mines from the area.
