Iran Claims Strike on US Ship in Strait of Hormuz; US Denies Attack

Iran said Sunday that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy struck an unmanned U.S. military vessel attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the U.S. military dismissed as a “total lie.” The exchange marks the latest escalation in a months-long conflict that has increasingly centered on the strategically vital waterway, according to AP News.

Escalating Tit-for-Tat Attacks

The purported attack came just a day after U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Navy warships being targeted with ballistic missiles. Two tankers were “permanently disabled” and a third, unladen vessel was destroyed, according to the U.S. military. Experts have called the escalation dangerous, noting that Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping rather than military vessels.

In its statement, the IRGC said it had attacked the remotely operated vessel belonging to the “terrorist American army” as it attempted to enter the “protected zone” of the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by Mehr News Agency. The Guards asserted that the strategic waterway “is under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” warning that “any move by the child-killing enemy will be met with a firm response.”

“America must know it has no path other than to leave the region and stop its mischief,” the IRGC statement said, according to IRNA.

The U.S. military, however, categorically rejected the claim. Washington’s dismissal follows a separate Iranian assertion that its forces launched “several ballistic missiles” at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer on Sunday, forcing them to flee after sustaining damage. CENTCOM said the vessels “successfully evaded” the attacks and no U.S. personnel were hurt.

A War Shifting to the Sea

The conflict began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026. Since a fragile ceasefire agreement was announced in June, on-and-off fighting has persisted, with both sides seeking to inflict military and economic pain as negotiations collapsed. The U.S. and Iran resumed attacks last week following a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran’s southern coast again becoming focal points.

At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran, including an attack that hit a wedding celebration. The civilian toll has drawn attention to the human cost of a conflict that has largely been fought at sea and from the air.

The fighting has increasingly shifted to the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, where both sides are racing to assert control. Iran has declared the strait closed to all traffic and asserts it is under Iranian management, while the U.S. military has imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and claims the waterway remains open. The U.S. military has been helping to guide ships through the strait as Tehran asserts control.

The Tanker War

The latest round of strikes has been dubbed a “tanker war” by analysts, as both sides target each other’s oil infrastructure and shipping. Washington says the Iranian tankers it struck were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network financing the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has long relied on a shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions and sell oil, a revenue source that has become more critical since the U.S. began blockading Iranian ports in April.

In retaliation for the U.S. strikes on its tankers, Iran’s state broadcaster reported that Tehran targeted three oil tankers and three American vessels. The IRGC Navy also issued a stark warning to all vessels in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz: “Do not be deceived by the American terrorist army and avoid any suspicious movement to cross unauthorized waterways, otherwise you will be targeted,” as reported by Mehr News.

The IRGC separately claimed it launched missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer, describing the targeting of the warships as part of an ongoing campaign against the U.S. naval blockade. The IRGC said the vessels were targeted because they were “harassing Iranian ships” and participating in the blockade.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a blunt warning: “It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers.” CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper echoed that stance, saying, “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”

Economic Stakes and Global Impact

The Strait of Hormuz is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments. Before the war, approximately 20 million barrels of oil flowed through daily—about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that on average, 9 million barrels of oil a day are getting through the strait, though his estimate appeared to exceed average flows over the past 28 days according to TankerTrackers.com and other sources.

Wright told CNN that with oil also flowing through pipelines in the region, “we’re probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows.” But those flows depend on the presence of the U.S. Navy to help escort tankers and provide protection against possible Iranian attack.

The economic stakes are enormous. Brent crude futures closed at $96.28 a barrel on Friday, their highest level since July 24, up from roughly $70 before the war. Diesel hit a record price in the U.S. on Friday, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon.

As Al Jazeera reports, the renewed exchanges mark an escalation in the six-month-old conflict. Experts warn that neither side appears willing to back down. “The winner is going to be the one that can accept more costs and punishment,” said Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East studies programme at George Washington University.

Analysis: A Dangerous New Phase

Analysts say Iran’s targeting of U.S. warships with ballistic missiles represents a significant departure from previous tactics. “The Iranians did not only target two ordinary warships—they targeted a missile destroyer and, remarkably, an aircraft carrier… the backbone of the American campaign against Iran,” defence analyst Wolfgang Pusztai told Al Jazeera. “This is a very, very significant development.”

Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said the missile attacks on the carrier indicate that “Tehran is becoming increasingly willing to accept risks it previously sought to avoid, including directly threatening some of the most important U.S. military assets in the region.”

Meanwhile, the nuclear issue that contributed to the outbreak of the war remains unresolved. Iran’s nuclear program was meant to be addressed in negotiations that fell apart after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June. Diplomats say the U.S., Britain, France and Germany now seek to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for failure to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations.

What to Watch For

As the conflict enters its seventh month, several factors will shape its trajectory. Oil prices remain a critical barometer—analysts at the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran suggest Iran “definitely has its own plans to make sure that oil prices will shoot up over $100 per barrel.” Public opinion in the U.S. is also a factor, with a Reuters/Ipsos survey in late August finding only 31 percent of Americans back the war while 63 percent oppose it.

With neither side showing signs of backing down and the Strait of Hormuz at the center of the confrontation, the risk of further escalation—and miscalculation—remains high. As Azodi warned, “There can be miscalculations. There can be more civilian casualties.” The coming weeks will test whether diplomatic off-ramps can be found before the conflict deepens further.