U.S Destroys Two Iranian Boats After Attempt To Seize Sea Drone Near Strait Of Hormuz

The US military destroyed two small Iranian boats after they tried to seize a US unmanned surface vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, US officials said.

The incident happened on Monday night, Sept. 14, in the Persian Gulf near Kargan, an Iranian port city close to Larak Island in Hormozgan province.

Iranian media said two fishing boats were attacked in the area and that several fishermen were missing.

A US official told Axios that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were using the boats to try to take control of the US Navy drone. The drone was used to monitor the area.

US Central Command confirmed the incident. Its spokesperson, Captain Tim Hawkins, said the Iranian boats failed to take the vessel and that the US drone remained under American control.

A US official told Axios that an American aerial drone fired two missiles at the boats after detecting the attempted seizure. Both boats were destroyed. The official said most of the people on board were killed in the explosions.

Meanwhile, Iran gave a different account of the attack.

Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor for security affairs in Hormozgan province, blamed the US military for the strike. He said several fishermen were missing and that search-and-rescue teams were looking for them.

Iranian state media described the two boats as fishing boats.

US naval vessels are currently escorting commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz during daylight hours.

This is different from earlier arrangements, when commercial vessels passed through the strait at night.

US Says Drone Was A Saildrone

Hawkins said the US unmanned surface vessel was a Saildrone. The small craft is about 25 feet (8 metres) long and can operate on its own.

CENTCOM has used Saildrones in the region for several years to monitor maritime traffic.

The US military has said the technology used on the vessels is commercially available and does not contain sensitive technology.

Hawkins said all of CENTCOM’s surface drones remained fully accounted for.

The incident follows another dispute involving a US unmanned vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.

A week earlier, the Iranian navy said it had captured a US military underwater drone at the entrance to the strait.

Hawkins said that drone, an Anduril Dive-LD, had malfunctioned while surveying the waters in the area. As a result, the US military no longer had possession of it.

He said the drone was an older and defective model. It did not collect sensitive data and did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was open to talks with Iran. He had earlier said that reaching a formal agreement was premature.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, rejected Trump’s comments on Tuesday.

Tehran has set conditions for ending the ongoing war and lifting the blockade across the Strait of Hormuz. It has demanded substantial war reparations and the complete removal of US sanctions.

References: aninews, TOI