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AzerNEWS Staff

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US Central Command has rejected claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it struck two US Navy destroyers operating in the Middle East, saying that all Iranian attacks on US warships have failed.

In a post, citing a statement on Wednesday, CENTCOM said the Iranian claim was “completely false” and stressed that no US Navy warship had been hit.

“No U.S. Navy warship has been struck; all IRGC attempted attacks failed,” CENTCOM said.

The US military also said that its forces had destroyed 10 Iranian tankers over the past week, describing the vessels as part of what it called a multibillion-dollar shadow network used to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies.

The latest statement follows a series of escalating maritime confrontations between Washington and Tehran in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said on Tuesday that US forces had destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC launched two ballistic-missile attacks against a US Navy warship over the previous two days. The US warship evaded both attacks and continued operating in the region, according to CENTCOM.

The five vessels identified by CENTCOM were the Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco and Derya. The US command said crews had been directed to abandon the ships before they were struck.

CENTCOM also said that on September 5, US forces destroyed three additional Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC attempted to attack a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.

Iran, meanwhile, has claimed that its forces targeted US vessels and other shipping in retaliation for the American attacks on Iranian tankers. Iranian state-linked media reported that the IRGC had targeted two US ships and several oil tankers. The US has denied that its warships suffered damage.

The confrontation has also begun to affect global energy markets. Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel on Wednesday, as renewed attacks on shipping intensified fears of further disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil and gas supplies normally passes.

The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in the maritime confrontation between the US and Iran, with both sides increasingly targeting or threatening shipping connected to the other. Reuters reported that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen sharply amid the latest hostilities.