The U.S. and Iran on Thursday each reported an exchange of fire between their forces in the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) accusing Tehran of “unprovoked” attacks.
“U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman, May 7,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.
“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage,” the post stated. “No U.S. assets were struck.”
CENTCOM said that U.S. forces retaliated by targeting the Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites, as well as command and control locations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.
“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” the post added.
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email for comment on Thursday afternoon.
This occurs as Washington and Tehran consider a proposal to end hostilities, with some analysts questioning if this exchange may lead to a full breakdown of the ongoing ceasefire.
Iranian military officials said that U.S. military assets in the Strait of Hormuz were targeted with missiles and “forced to flee after suffering damage, and accused the U.S. of attacking an Iranian tanker attempting transit, according to a post by Iranian authorities on a Telegram message board.
Explosions were previously reported across the surrounding region, including on Qeshm Island, which Iranian state media reported as an exchange of fire between iranian forces and “the enemy,” initially blaming the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the incident.
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