US Central Command (CENTCOM) has rejected as false a claim by Iranian forces that they destroyed an American military sea drone in the Strait of Hormuz, saying all of its unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East are accounted for.
In a post shared on X early on October 31, 2026, Malaysia time, CENTCOM said: “Today, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it destroyed a U.S. military sea drone in the Strait of Hormuz. This claim is FALSE, just like many other IRGC lies this week.”
“All U.S. military unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East are accounted for, including a squadron of advanced sea drones on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz supporting CENTCOM’s defensive layer,” the command added.
Iran’s claim
Earlier on Friday, October 30, the Iranian Navy said it had struck and destroyed an “enemy unmanned vessel” operating in its area east of the strait, without identifying the vessel or its operator, according to a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, Anadolu Agency reported. The Iranian Navy also said two tankers had struck naval mines and caught fire after sailing in areas Iran considers restricted, while the IRGC Navy said it had stopped two tankers trying to transit the strait through what it called unauthorised routes.
The IRGC Navy said both tankers had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and claimed they were operating with support from the US military, Anadolu reported. Neither the Iranian claim about the unmanned vessel nor the US denial could be independently verified, Iran International said.
Tanker hit by limpet mines
In a separate incident, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a small boat attached two explosive devices to a tanker on Thursday about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, causing an engine-room fire and temporarily disabling the vessel, Iran International reported. The fire was extinguished, all crew were safe and there was no environmental damage. Three maritime security sources identified the tanker as the Panama-flagged Louise 1 and said the devices were limpet mines, Iran International reported, citing Reuters. Two of the sources said it was the first known successful use of limpet mines against a tanker in the area since the war began.
The rebuttal came on the same day CENTCOM released a video in which its commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said he had seen a squadron of advanced sea drones on patrol in the strait during a visit earlier in the week, and that US forces had cleared its primary transit routes of Iranian sea mines.
Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies, has faced repeated attacks and disruptions since the US war with Iran began in February, Iran International said. Anadolu noted that the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June on freedom of navigation in the strait, but its implementation stalled amid disagreements over security in the waterway. Earlier this week, CENTCOM also rejected Iranian claims that ships had hit sea mines there.
Source : US CENTCOM, with reporting from Anadolu Agency, IRNA, Iran International and Reuters.
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