Iran has accused the United States Navy of attacking an Iranian-flagged commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz, injuring 10 sailors and leaving five others missing, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
It was reported that the attack took place at night between the Strait of Hormuz and the Makran Sea near Oman.
Mehr said the cargo ship crashed near waters off Minab County and later caught fire.
According to the report, there were 15 sailors on board the ship at the time of the incident.
Ten injured crew members were taken to hospital, while rescue teams and local authorities continued to search for the five missing sailors.
There was no immediate confirmation from the US military regarding the alleged attack.
The incident comes amid rising tensions in the region as the US expands its naval operations linked to the blockade of Iran.
US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, said US forces are currently blocking “more than 70” ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
“These commercial vessels have the capacity to transport an estimated 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth more than $13 billion,” Centcom claimed in a post on X.
The latest confrontation is expected to raise further concerns over shipping security and military activity in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended recent US military actions, saying that the operations carried out on Thursday were “separate and separate from Operation Epic Fury”.
