Iran Accuses US of Striking Fishing Boats Near Qeshm Island, Two Fishermen Injured in Attack

Tehran: The United States reportedly struck two fishing boats off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, injuring two Iranian fishermen.

As reported by the news agency IRNA, the two fishermen who went missing after the drone attack have been found, according to the CEO of the Qeshm Fishing Community. Both were sent back to Qeshm Island.

Meanwhile, one of the two injured fishermen was taken to a hospital, Al Jazeera reported, citing Fars news agency.

“This incident occurred around 11:30 am today involving two fishing boats within 18 miles of the village of Musan, affiliated with Qeshm County… Each boat had two occupants,” the deputy governor of Hormozgan Province for political, security, and social affairs told Tasnim news agency, as per Al Jazeera.

As strikes continue in the Strait of Hormuz, earlier, Iranian naval forces destroyed an "enemy submarine" and damaged two commercial oil tankers in the operational zone east of Hormuz on Friday morning.

State media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported, citing the Iranian Navy's Public Relations department, that Iranian forces targeted and destroyed an adversary submarine navigating the operational sector near the vital maritime choke point.

"This morning, an enemy submarine that was operating in the operational area east of the Strait of Hormuz was hit and destroyed by Iranian Navy sailors," the Navy statement read.

Meanwhile, the Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, on Friday (local time) stated that the primary internationally recognised transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz have been successfully cleared of Iranian sea mines and commercial vessels are sailing freely through the strategic waterway.

"Earlier this week, I visited some of the more than 50,000 service members supporting operations across the Middle East, including our mission in the Strait of Hormuz. When I flew over the strait, I saw dozens of commercial vessels transiting-all types: cargo, crude oil, liquid natural gas, or LNG. And I also saw our U.S. assets in the air and on the water, including a squadron of advanced sea drones that were on patrol, supporting a defensive layer," Admiral Cooper stated.

This comes as the possibility of fresh strikes lurks in Iran.

Today, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered senior commanders to confront all the threats “with an immediate, effective, and unrestricted geographical response.”

According to a series of X posts by the account of Mojtaba Khamenei, the Iranian leader met with senior commanders of the armed forces against the backdrop of possibilities of fresh escalation between the United States and Iran.

“Every level and type of threat must be confronted with an immediate, effective, and unrestricted geographical response,” the statement read. 

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