Washington denies destruction of US naval drone in Hormuz
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bamada.net
The US Central Command says no US naval drone was destroyed in the Strait of Hormuz, contrary to Iranian claims. Tehran also says two tankers struck mines and two others were intercepted, amid tensions over shipping, according to Anadolu, citing IRNA and CENTCOM.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied on Friday that Iran had destroyed a US naval drone in the Strait of Hormuz. “All US unmanned surface vessels deployed in the Middle East are accounted for,” CENTCOM said on the X platform, adding that a squadron of naval drones was patrolling the strait.
The Iranian navy had earlier claimed to have destroyed an “unmanned enemy vessel” east of the strait, without identifying the vessel or its operator, according to the official IRNA news agency. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced the interception of two tankers accused of taking unauthorised routes, while the Iranian navy said that two other tankers had struck mines and caught fire.
The US denial comes after the explosions that set three tankers on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, reported on 29 October. On 30 October, Brad Cooper, the US official responsible for naval operations in the Middle East, had also said that Iranian naval forces had disappeared from Hormuz amid tensions over freedom of navigation.
