Iran’s naval forces targeted a group of US Navy vessels attempting to move three of its "violating" destroyers from the Strait of Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman, according to a statement from the Iranian military carried by the Tasnim News Agency on Friday.
The Iranian military said the operation was a coordinated attack involving eight cruise missiles and 24 one-way attack drones.
According to the Iranian military, one cruise missile and three one-way attack dronessuccessfully struck the US destroyers, causing fires on board. The statement added that the missiles and drones made impact despite extensive attempts by the US Navy to repel the attack.
The operation has been codenamed “Martyr Mayouan” in honor of Captain Amir Bahador Mayouan, the commander of the Iranian destroyer Jamaran.
Earlier on May 8, Iran's Fars News Agency, citing security sources, reported that sporadic clashes broke out between Iranian armed forces and US naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz region.
Fars further reported that the previous night, Iranian armed forces had thwarted an attempted attack by US forces on an Iranian oil tanker in the same area.
In a separate account, an informed military source told the Tasnim News Agency that the Iranian Naval Forces responded after the United States launched an aggression targeting Iranian oil tankers. The source noted that the clashes have since died down and the situation is currently calm.
However, the same source issued a warning to the United States, stating, "If the US plans to enter the Gulf again or cause disruption to Iranian maritime assets, they will face another decisive response." The source emphasized that the possibility of renewed clashes remains.
Earlier on May 8, the spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters described the US military as "aggressive and terrorist," alleging that American forces had violated a ceasefire and targeted an Iranian oil tanker moving from Iranian coastal waters in the Jask area toward the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the same spokesperson, US forces also targeted another vessel as it was entering the Strait of Hormuz opposite the UAE port of Fujairah.
In a direct warning to the United States, the spokesperson said, "Iran will respond fiercely and without the slightest hesitation, with a devastating response to any aggression or transgression."