The U.S. military described the incident as an unprovoked attack, while Iranian military officials claimed the U.S. side attacked first.
A trio of U.S. warships fended off a series of attacks from Iranian missiles, drones, and attack boats on May 7, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
CENTCOM said the guided-missile destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason were sailing through the Strait of Hormuz on May 7 when they came under attack.
The U.S. military command said U.S. forces “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.”
CENTCOM reported that no U.S. assets were struck in the exchange.
Although CENTCOM described the incident as an unprovoked attack by the Iranian side, Iranian state media reported that U.S. forces initiated the hostilities.
In a statement shared by Iranian state media, a spokesperson for Iran’s military headquarters said U.S. forces attacked an Iranian oil tanker sailing near the Iranian port city of Jask and a separate vessel sailing near the Emirati port of Fujairah. Iran’s military spokesperson called the alleged attack a violation of the ceasefire Washington and Tehran entered into on April 7.
Iran’s military headquarters claimed that as the attacks began on the pair of vessels, additional attacks targeted civilian areas along the Iranian coastline, including Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island. The Iranian military said its forces responded by firing upon U.S. warships in the vicinity.
The Iranian media reports preceded CENTCOM’s May 7 press statement.
U.S. forces have been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports and trade since April 13. In a few instances, those U.S. forces have used disabling fire and boarding operations to stop vessels from bypassing the blockade.
On May 6, CENTCOM announced that a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet was launched from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and fired its 20 mm cannon to disable the rudder of an unladen Iranian crude oil tanker sailing through the Gulf of Oman toward an Iranian port.
By Ryan Morgan
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