Iran Claims 5 Civilians Killed in US Attack in Strait of Hormuz
Two US Warships Enter the Gulf via Strait of Hormuz
Photo: Reuters
Citing military officials, US media outlet CBS News reported that two Navy warships entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, defying potential Iranian threats. During the transit, the USS Truxtun and USS Mason faced attacks from Iranian missiles, drones, and fast boats.
However, the warships were defended by Apache helicopters and US military aircraft. Iranian state media, Tasnim News Agency, has claimed that the vessels targeted by the US in the Strait of Hormuz were not affiliated with the IRGC but were civilian speedboats.
The report stated that five civilians were killed in the US attack on these cargo and passenger-carrying vessels. Earlier on Monday, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had destroyed six Iranian boats using Sea Hawk and Apache attack helicopters. However, quoting an Iranian official, Tasnim News Agency clarified that the vessels did not belong to the Iranian military. Instead, two small boats were reportedly attacked while transporting goods and passengers from Khasab, off the coast of Oman, toward the Iranian coast.
Iranian authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. "This hasty and clumsy behavior is a result of their [the US] excessive fear of IRGC fast-boat operations," the Iranian official stated.
