Iran claims its forces hit a U.S. naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, but CENTCOM dismisses it as 'a total lie' -- one day after American forces disabled three Iranian oil tankers in a widening showdown.
Iran claimed Sunday that its forces struck an American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. military wasted no time firing back: a Central Command spokesman branded the assertion "a total lie." The clash of claims is the latest flashpoint in a fast-moving showdown over the waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil.
Tehran's state media said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) hit an unmanned U.S. vessel trying to enter an area of the strait that Iran declares restricted. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, dismissed the claim flatly, calling it "a total lie" in remarks to the Associated Press.
The alleged attack came one day after U.S. forces permanently disabled three Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, a response to Iran firing ballistic missiles at an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. Fighting resumed last week after roughly a month of quiet, and Sunday's back-and-forth shows Tehran trying to save face and raise the temperature at the same time.
Iranian state television carried an IRGC statement saying the Guard "attacked an American military unmanned surface vessel" attempting to enter the strait. No evidence of any hit was offered, and the denial from Washington was categorical.
The claim came on the heels of an IRGC announcement that its naval forces had targeted three oil tankers on what Tehran called an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, along with three vessels it described as linked to the United States in other areas. Tehran has warned commercial ships to stay off unapproved routes through the chokepoint, a reminder that Iran still considers the strait its trump card even as Washington runs a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
For the U.S. side, the pattern is familiar: Iran claims a victory, offers no proof, and American commanders correct the record. The speed and bluntness of the response signaled that CENTCOM is not interested in letting Iranian propaganda stand unchallenged.
The current round began Saturday, when Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer in what CENTCOM described as an unprovoked attack. American forces answered by permanently disabling three Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, severely damaging two and destroying a third.
The tankers were part of Iran's sanctions-dodging shadow fleet, the disguised vessels Tehran uses to keep crude moving despite U.S. pressure. Taking them off the water hits the regime where it hurts most: the oil revenue that bankrolls its missile programs and its network of terror proxies across the Middle East.
The exchange has analysts warning of a dangerous new phase. Iran's willingness to fire ballistic missiles at an American aircraft carrier marks a readiness to accept risks it previously avoided, putting some of the most valuable U.S. military assets in the region directly in Tehran's crosshairs.
CENTCOM said Sunday that U.S. forces have now redirected 92 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two others to ensure strict compliance with the maritime blockade against Iran. The numbers paint a picture of an operation that is not letting up: Washington is squeezing the regime's economy while daring Tehran to respond on the water.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the United States is strangling Iran's economy "to either bring a change in policy from the existing regime or a new regime," adding that Tehran's current strategy is "slowly failing." He stressed that the administration remains "always open for a deal" and that a negotiated settlement is President Trump's goal, with military force reserved as a last resort.
Wright also acknowledged there may ultimately be no nuclear agreement, in which case the mission becomes destroying Iran's ability to build a bomb. Fresh sanctions continue to hit entities with financial links to the Islamic Republic, tightening the vise from every angle while American supply additions from Alaska, the Gulf and Venezuela keep energy markets steady.
Two exchanges in two days, with threats of more on both sides, leaves the Strait of Hormuz at the center of global attention. Iran views the waterway as its leverage of last resort, but the tanker strikes prove that threatening the strait no longer shields the regime from consequences.
Energy markets are watching every development, since a real disruption to Hormuz traffic would move oil prices worldwide. So far it is the U.S. blockade disrupting Iranian exports, not the reverse, and American forces continue to hold the initiative in the strait.
The next 48 hours will show whether Tehran backs its rhetoric with more attacks or whether the economic pressure finally forces a change of course. For the administration, the goal remains simple: make Iranian aggression too expensive to continue while keeping the door open to a deal that ends the standoff.
Iran claims its forces hit a U.S. naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, but CENTCOM dismisses it as 'a total lie' -- one day after American forces disabled three Iranian oil tankers in a widening showdown.
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