Iran claims that the UAE attack was a reaction to the US attacking civilian ships.

Iran has accused the United States of killing five civilians in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that American forces attacked passenger boats instead of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vessels.

The assertion runs counter to claims made by US Admiral Brad Cooper, who claimed that six IRGC boats were sunk by US Central Command (CENTCOM) personnel when they were trying to obstruct a mission to guide stalled ships across the vital waterway. Later, President Donald Trump raised the number to seven.

According to a military source cited by Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), an internal probe revealed that no IRGC warships were struck. Rather, it stated that US soldiers attacked two small boats that were transporting civilians from Khasab, Oman, to Iran, killing five people and destroyed the boats. According to the insider, Washington needs to answer for what happened.

The escalation coincides with “Project Freedom,” a US initiative to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iran effectively closed it following Israeli and US strikes on February 28. The action has increased worries of a fresh battle and cast doubt on the stability of a precarious truce that was reached on April 8.

An IRGC spokeswoman described recent developments as a result of US military efforts and stated that there had been no pre-planned Iranian operation targeting Fujairah’s oil facilities.

US officials did not immediately address Iran’s most recent accusations.

Tensions continue to revolve around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route for the world’s energy supplies. Concerns about economic instability have already been heightened by disruptions, which have increased the price of fertilizer and oil globally. Tehran has made it clear that it wants to keep control of the route and that it may charge transit fees in order to make up for the harm caused by recent attacks.

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