U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday issued a detailed rebuttal of three Iranian propaganda claims, stating that the IRGC's assertions that Hormuz shipping lanes are dangerous, that three F-35s were destroyed in a strike on Jordan, and that the tanker M/T Nora breached the blockade are false. CENTCOM said all missiles and drones were intercepted, and that over 20 warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members continue to fully enforce the blockade.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) this evening (Thursday, 19:36 Jerusalem) issued a detailed rebuttal of three specific Iranian propaganda claims, providing precise numbers of American naval and air assets enforcing the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement explicitly denied the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) assertions that Hormuz shipping lanes are dangerous, that three F-35 fighter jets were destroyed in a strike on Jordan, and that the oil tanker M/T Nora had successfully breached the U.S. blockade. CENTCOM confirmed that over 20 warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members continue to fully enforce the blockade, and that all missiles and drones were intercepted.
The thread of this story began early Thursday morning (03:06 Jerusalem) with unverified reports of a U.S. HIMARS strike on Iran's Kish Island. The IRGC then claimed it had destroyed three F-35s in Jordan and seized two oil tankers, and that the M/T Nora had breached the blockade. CENTCOM issued its first denial of any U.S. aircraft losses at 03:06, followed by a denial of the tanker breach and the shipping lane danger. This evening's update expands on those denials by specifying the scale of U.S. assets enforcing the blockade and providing a point-by-point refutation of the IRGC's claims.
The IRGC has a documented pattern of claiming strikes on U.S. military positions in the region, including in Bahrain and Kuwait, as The Zioneer reported on July 21 and July 8. Washington has consistently dismissed these assertions as propaganda or psychological warfare. The Strait of Hormuz remains the focal point of the direct U.S.-Iran confrontation, with the IRGC attempting to assert control over maritime traffic while CENTCOM maintains a significant naval presence.
The IRGC's claims regarding the destruction of U.S. aircraft and the tanker breach remain unverified by any independent source. No evidence of damage to U.S. assets has emerged from Jordanian, U.S., or Israeli sources. The U.S. Navy continues to enforce the blockade, and the situation remains dynamic.
9 developments
- DevelopingCENTCOM: Strait of Hormuz is international waterway, 1,000 vessels transited since May
- DevelopingCENTCOM says Iran does not control Strait of Hormuz; shipping continues as normal
- StrongCENTCOM released footage of engagement with Iranian forces in Strait of Hormuz
- ConfirmedCENTCOM intercepts Iranian suicide drones targeting commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Open-source intake