A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
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The US and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with each side claiming the other initiated the attack.
US Central Command said in a statement that its forces “deterred unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes” as three US Navy destroyers transited the strait late Thursday.
“Iranian forces fired multiple missiles, drones, and small boats as the U.S. ships approached the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said. “No US assets were attacked.”
CENTCOM “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes,” CENTCOM said in its statement.
“CENTCOM does not seek to escalate tensions but remains deployed and ready to protect U.S. forces.”
Earlier, Iran had accused the US of violating the two countries’ fragile ceasefire by attacking multiple targets in and around the strait, which is a central chokepoint in the ongoing war.
“The aggressive, terroristic and predatory US forces, in violation of the ceasefire, targeted an Iranian tanker that was moving from Iranian coastal waters towards the strait,” an Iranian military official said in a statement to state news outlets.
Iran’s armed forces “immediately retaliated and attacked US military vessels east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar port, causing significant damage,” the spokesperson said, according to a translation of the reported statement.
CENTCOM’s statement did not mention the ceasefire, which began on April 8 and has already been dogged by allegations of repeated violations of its terms.
The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on news of the attacks.
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