The US military announced it intercepted two Iranian drones that threatened shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, after explosions were heard near the waterway overnight. Iran separately reported it prevented an oil tanker from entering the Persian Gulf without authorization.
The US military confirmed at 07:34 Jerusalem that it intercepted two Iranian drones threatening shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, after explosions were heard near the waterway. This is the latest in a series of exchanges that began early this morning at 04:20 Jerusalem, when a senior US defense official first reported to Fox News that Iran launched several one-way attack drones at commercial vessels and that US forces shot down two. At 04:20, an Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that Iran fired at an oil tanker attempting to cross the strait, and Reuters separately reported US warships intercepted two suicide drones targeting merchant vessels. By 04:20, Iran claimed it had prevented a tanker from transiting the waterway; the same time, Iranian state media said an oil tanker was turned back by the IRGC Navy. The confirmed US intercept comes after a series of escalating reports from multiple newsrooms and officials, moving from a single US defense source to on-record confirmation of two drones downed.
As The Zioneer previously reported, Iranian Armed Forces confirmed on June 8 at 00:41 Jerusalem that they are enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first on-record acknowledgment from Tehran's military. The US Central Command confirmed a pattern of Iranian drone activity in the waterway as early as June 7 at 04:51 and again at 09:39 Jerusalem. On June 10 at 20:00 Jerusalem, CENTCOM also struck an oil tanker attempting to breach the blockade.
No casualties or damage to vessels have been reported in the latest incident, and it is not yet clear if the two drones confirmed intercepted represent a distinct engagement or overlap with the earlier reports of multiple downings.
8 developments
- DevelopingUS CENTCOM Downs Two Iranian Drones in Strait of Hormuz
- ConfirmedCENTCOM intercepts Iranian suicide drones targeting commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingAmichai Stein: IRGC sent 2–4 attack drones at US Navy ships nightly in the Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIran fires warning shots at US vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Internal intake