Tehran denies US claim that it sank six boats

Iran has dismissed claims that US forces sank six Iranian naval vessels that were allegedly threatening commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, told journalists on Monday that the US military “eliminated” a small Iranian naval force in the region.

The reported strike was part of Project Freedom – an initiative announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday to escort tankers and other vessels that have been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

“The US claim regarding the sinking of a number of Iranian combat boats is a lie,” a senior Iranian military official told IRIB news agency on Monday.

Cooper claimed that the US military sank at least six Iranian boats, boasting of “an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the strait, including AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters.”

Earlier on Monday, Fars News Agency reported that the Iranian military hit a US Navy patrol boat near the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM rejected the claim, saying no US Navy ships were struck.

Washington and Tehran remain at odds over the fate of the key waterway, which accounts for around 20% of global seaborne oil trade. Iran reportedly suggested a new mechanism to govern the strait as part of its latest peace proposal, which was rejected by the US.

Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports to force Tehran to agree to a peace settlement that would be satisfactory to Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the blockade an “act of war” violating the ceasefire reached in early April.

“Project Freedom is Project Deadlock,” Araghchi said in a post on X, warning the US to “be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers.”