The US military destroyed two Iranian small boats on September 14 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to seize a US Navy drone patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, US officials told Axios.
According to a US official, the IRGC used the boats in an effort to capture a naval drone operated by the US military to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.
After US forces detected the attempt, an American drone fired two missiles at the boats, destroying both vessels and killing most of those on board.
The US military did not initially disclose the strike, while Iranian media presented it as an attack on “fishing boats.”
Iranian media said the two fishing boats were hit on September 14 off the coast of Kargan and in waters near Larak Island in Hormozgan province. Ahmad Nafisi, the province’s deputy governor for security affairs, attributed the incident to the US military.
US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins subsequently confirmed that Iranian boats had attempted to take control of the US vessel, saying “Iranian small boats recently attempted to take possession of a U.S. unmanned surface vessel, but they were unsuccessful after CENTCOM forcefully responded.”
“The surface drone remains under U.S. operational control,” Hawkins said.
The confrontation comes as the US steps up efforts to safeguard commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where oil shipments have yet to return to prewar levels.
According to Axios, roughly 40 commercial vessels are currently passing through the strait each day with US military guidance and protection.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
