The US military has denied an Iranian state media report that Iran struck an uncrewed American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the claim a “total lie.”
The denial came as a senior Iranian official on Sunday said Tehran plans to establish an “exclusion zone” outside the strategic waterway for vessels it believes are trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, rejected the Iranian report, saying there was no truth to the claim that an American vessel was hit while attempting to enter an area Tehran considers restricted.
Iranian state media had reported that the US vessel was trying to enter the alleged restricted area.
The development came a day after the US said it had struck three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran's launch of ballistic missiles at US Navy warships. The attacks resumed last week following roughly a month of relative calm.
The conflict began on Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Fighting has continued intermittently after negotiations broke down despite a ceasefire agreement announced in June, with both sides seeking to inflict military and economic damage.
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said the country would no longer limit itself to “proportionate responses,” warning that future retaliation would be “faster, heavier and more painful.”
Iran plans exclusion zone near Strait of Hormuz
Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran would announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days or weeks.
Speaking to Iran's state broadcaster, Rezaei provided few details but said the zone would begin near the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz and continue into the Persian Gulf.
His comments came a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers following Iran's missile attacks on American warships.
Experts have described Iran's missile launches as a dangerous escalation, particularly because previous Iranian attacks at sea had targeted commercial shipping.