JAKARTA - Iran has accused the United States of killing five civilians in the Strait of Hormuz, saying its forces attacked passenger ships on the waterway, not ships belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as claimed.
Tuesday's claim contradicted remarks by US Admiral Brad Cooper, who said US Central Command (US CENTCOM) forces had sunk six IRGC boats trying to disrupt a US mission to escort stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump then mentioned the number of ships that were sunk as many as seven units.
Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, quoted an unnamed Iranian military commander as saying that Tehran launched an investigation following US claims of attacks on IRGC vessels.
The statement said that although no IRGC vessels were hit by the attack, the investigation found that US forces had "attacked two small boats carrying people on their way from Khasab on the coast of Oman to the Iranian coast on Monday," as reported by Al Jazeera (5/5).
The attack destroyed the boats and killed five civilian passengers, the commander said. The US "must be held accountable for their crimes," he added.
There was no immediate comment from the US military on the Iranian allegations.
The violence comes as President Trump seeks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked after the US and Israeli attacks on the country on February 28.
The closure of a vital maritime corridor - through which about a fifth of the world's oil supplies pass - has caused oil and fertilizer prices to soar around the world and sparked fears of a global recession and a food crisis.
Iran is now insisting on retaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and charging transit fees in compensation for the damage caused by the US and Israel.
The Speaker of Parliament and Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a post on X that the US's violation of the ceasefire endangered transit through the waterway.
"The new situation in the Strait of Hormuz is in the process of strengthening. The security of shipping and energy transit has been threatened by the United States and its allies through violations of the ceasefire and the imposition of a blockade; of course, their crimes will be reduced," he explained.
"We know very well that the continuation of the status quo cannot be tolerated by America; while we have not even started," he said.
Iran's military on Monday warned commercial vessels they would "jeopardize their safety" if they tried to cross the waterway without permission. The military also warned US forces would face an attack if they approached or entered the vulnerable point.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
