CAIRO — Iran said Sunday it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the U.S. military dismissed as a “total lie,” the Associated Press reported.
The purported attack came a day after U.S. Central Command said American forces permanently disabled two Iranian oil tankers and destroyed a third unladen tanker after ballistic missiles targeted a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer; no U.S. personnel were hurt, according to CENTCOM and the BBC.
Fighting between the United States and Iran resumed last week after a month of relative calm, with the strait and Iranian coastal communities again targeted. At least five people were killed earlier in the week in a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran, AP reported. Diplomats say Washington and European allies are seeking to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over nuclear nonproliferation obligations as negotiations remain collapsed.
