Iran Claims Missile Strike on US Navy Vessel Near Hormuz

Iran’s military claims it struck a US naval vessel in the northern Arabian Sea with a shore-launched cruise missile, forcing the ship to withdraw from what Iranian forces describe as their naval unit’s operational range. The claim comes from Iranian state media and has not been independently verified by US officials or other outside sources.

According to the Iranian account, the missile was fired from coastal positions and hit the American vessel, compelling it to move beyond the reach of the Iranian naval unit stationed in the area. No details on the extent of any damage, casualties, or the specific vessel involved have been independently confirmed.

Separately, the Revolutionary Guards released video footage they say shows a drone strike on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials said the tanker had failed to comply with instructions issued by Iranian authorities operating in the strait, and that the strike followed as a response to that non-compliance — a justification that fits Iran’s broader stance asserting control over vessel movement through the waterway amid the wider standoff with Washington.

Both claimed actions arrive on the seventh consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, part of an escalating exchange that has already included American attacks on Iranian bridges, rail infrastructure, and airports, alongside Iranian strikes on US allies across the Gulf and a claimed attack on a US base in Jordan. Iran’s military reiterated Thursday that continued American strikes would trigger a full-scale Iranian response, language consistent with warnings issued throughout this round of conflict.

The reported naval and tanker incidents mark a notable shift in the conflict’s scope, moving from strikes on fixed infrastructure toward direct claimed engagement with maritime traffic and naval assets — precisely the kind of escalation that has driven international concern over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil and gas shipments pass. Iran has repeatedly warned it would restrict passage through the strait as long as US strikes continue, and any confirmed attack on tankers or naval vessels there would represent a serious escalation with direct implications for global energy markets.

Given the pattern of competing, difficult-to-verify claims from both sides throughout this conflict, these reports reflect Iran’s own account of events. Confirmation from US Central Command or other independent sources would be needed to establish what actually occurred in the northern Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, and whether the reported American vessel sustained any damage.