Iranian TV airs footage of alleged missile strikes on US warships amid escalating tensions
Iran's state broadcaster showed video it said depicted ballistic missiles hitting a US aircraft carrier and destroyer, while both sides claim to have struck each other's vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state television aired footage it claimed showed Qasem Basir ballistic missiles striking a United States aircraft carrier and a destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the missiles damaged the ships and forced them to withdraw, describing the attacks as retaliation for recent US strikes on three Iranian oil tankers.
The United States military confirmed it had targeted three tankers it said were linked to the IRGC, disabling two and destroying a third, and characterized the vessels as part of a network financing the Revolutionary Guard and allied groups. It did not comment on the alleged damage to the US warships.
The IRGC also said its naval forces attempted to engage a US unmanned surface vessel it alleged was entering a restricted zone of the strait, though the outcome was not independently verified. Both sides have exchanged statements about additional attacks on tankers and warships in the region.
The incidents occur against a backdrop of heightened military tension and stalled diplomatic talks, while the United States has increased sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's oil revenues and entities tied to the Revolutionary Guard.