US Navy destroys two Iranian boats that attempted to hijack a naval parade - Sarmad
The U.S. military destroyed two small Iranian boats after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard attempted to steal a U.S. Navy maritime unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Axios, this incident illustrates how efforts to restore normal shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are facing direct confrontation with Iran. The U.S. military initially did not disclose the strike, while Iranian media portrayed the event as a drone attack targeting fishing boats.
The two fishing boats were targeted on Monday off the coast of Kargan and near Larak Island in Hormozgan Province, according to Iranian media.
Ahmad Nafisi, the deputy governor for security affairs in the province, attributed the strike to the U.S. military. Nafisi stated that an unspecified number of fishermen were missing and that search and rescue operations were underway, according to the semi-official Iranian Mehr News Agency.
A U.S. official said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard used the two boats in an attempt to seize a maritime UAV employed by the U.S. military for patrols in the Strait of Hormuz. After U.S. forces detected the attempt, a U.S. drone fired two missiles at the boats, destroying them and killing most of those on board.
Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, confirmed the seizure attempt, stating that “small Iranian boats recently attempted to seize a U.S. unmanned surface vessel, but failed after Central Command responded with force.” Hawkins added that “the unmanned surface vessel remains under U.S. operational control.”
The incident comes as the United States seeks to protect increasing commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where oil flows remain below pre-war levels. A U.S. official said the U.S. military and Gulf states have begun conducting daytime transits of oil tankers through the strait, rather than only at night as has been the case in recent months.
With escalating fighting with the Houthis in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has significantly increased the number of oil tankers it routes through the strait, according to a U.S. official. U.S. forces have also expanded the mine-cleared sections in the central shipping lane of the strait.
Currently, an average of 40 ships transit the strait daily under U.S. military guidance and protection. A U.S. official said approximately 14 million barrels of oil are exported daily through the waterway. Over the past week, several tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) also transited the strait.
