The Iranian Army accused the United States this morning of being responsible for the death of at least five civilians in an attack against two cargo ships off the coast of Oman, after Washington claimed to have destroyed Iranian speedboats.
An Iranian military source, cited by the state agency Tasnim, explained that “following the false claim by the US Army” about the destruction of Iranian speedboats, investigations were carried out with local sources and it was concluded that no Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) combat vessels were hit.
The same source assured that two small cargo ships with civilians on board that were sailing from Khasab, on the coast of Oman, towards the Iranian coast, were attacked by the US, resulting in five deaths, which the media claims are civilians and not military.
On Monday, the Central Command of the United States Armed Forces (CENTCOM) claimed to have facilitated the transit of two merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz – within the framework of the announced operation to escort ships through this route – and to have destroyed six Iranian speedboats that, according to what they claimed, tried to prevent their passage.
According to Reuters, Iranian state media also report that a fire has broken out on several merchant ships docked in the port of Dayyer, southern Iran. Majid Omrani, head of the Dayyer Port Fire Department, told Mehr news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that firefighters are working to control the fire. The cause of the incident is unknown.
Selective blocking
Three weeks after the start of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, the parties continue to maintain a selective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route for global oil and gas trade through which, in peacetime, around 20% of the world’s fossil energies circulate.
In this context, on Monday, the United States Army reported that vessels from 87 different countries are currently affected by the Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, waiting for Washington to escort them as part of an operation to allow their safe transit.
Furthermore, the White House denied that one of its military ships had been attacked while trying to cross this strategic route, as the Iranian press had stated.
What’s more, tonight he reported that two American warships managed to cross the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Persian Gulf this Monday, despite the coordinated attack with drones, missiles and small boats, attributed to Iran. The destroyers, supported by helicopters and other aircraft, faced threats during their transit through this strategic sea route, according to military sources reported to CBS News.
According to defense officials, cited by the network, US forces activated protection and air support systems that allowed the attack attempts to be neutralized or deterred without any impacts being recorded.
