Iran claims US vessel strike near Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon calls it ‘total lie’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Iran claims US vessel strike near Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon calls it ‘total lie’")
Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on September 5, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Iran claimed it struck an unmanned US vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, but US Central Command denied the report as a “total lie” amid rising tensions.
Iran said on Sunday that it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz; however, the US military has denied these claims as a “total lie.” This attack comes just a day after the US military said it struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships patrolling the region.
“The report came from Iranian state media, and it’s a total lie,” said Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that at least three tankers and energy carriers, VELOS AMBER, BRAVO, and AL SHEEHANIYA, travelling through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, changed course and turned back after receiving a warning from the IRGC Navy that the route was closed.
The US-Iran exchange of attacks resumed last week following a period of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran’s southern coast again being targeted. At the same time, the US is also targeting Iranian economic interests globally. The Trump administration appears to have adopted a dual-pronged approach: military attack at the Hormuz alongside economic pressure by going after foreign financial institutions that handle Iran’s money.
However, Iran maintains that it will not surrender to US pressure. Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, said the US and Israel were seeking to make up for their military and strategic setbacks in confrontations with Iran and regional resistance groups through economic pressure, media warfare and cognitive operations.
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