The United States carried out retaliatory military strikes against Iranian targets Thursday after U.S. officials said Iranian forces attacked three American Navy destroyers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran accused Washington of violating an existing ceasefire agreement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The United States and Iran exchanged military fire Thursday in and around the Strait of Hormuz after American officials said Iranian forces launched missiles, drones and fast-attack boats against U.S. Navy warships operating in the strategic waterway.
According to a statement posted by U.S. Central Command, American forces responded with what officials described as “self-defense strikes” targeting Iranian military infrastructure connected to the attack.
“U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said.
Military officials identified the American vessels involved as the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason.
“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck,” the statement continued.
CENTCOM said American forces intercepted inbound threats before carrying out retaliatory strikes against what it described as Iranian military sites responsible for the attack.
According to the military command, U.S. strikes targeted missile and drone launch positions, command-and-control infrastructure and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance facilities connected to Iranian operations in the region.
“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” the command stated.
The confrontation unfolded amid already heightened tensions surrounding maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping corridors for global oil supplies.
Iranian officials offered a sharply different account of the incident, accusing the United States of violating a monthlong ceasefire agreement and attacking civilian maritime traffic near Iranian territorial waters.
A spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in remarks carried by Iranian state media that U.S. forces targeted two civilian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Iranian statement, one vessel was described as “an Iranian oil tanker traveling from Iran’s coastal waters near Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz,” while another vessel was reportedly entering the waterway near the Emirati port city of Fujairah.
Iranian officials also accused the United States and unnamed regional partners of carrying out airstrikes against civilian coastal areas.
“At the same time, with the cooperation of some regional countries, they carried out air attacks on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island,” the statement said.
The incident marks one of the most direct military confrontations between U.S. and Iranian forces since the current regional conflict intensified earlier this year.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained at the center of rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, with repeated warnings from both sides over military deployments, maritime traffic and threats to international shipping routes.
Thursday’s exchange also comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts involving temporary ceasefire proposals and negotiations tied to Iran’s nuclear activities and broader regional military posture.
Neither side immediately released casualty figures or detailed damage assessments following the confrontation.
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