Washington: The US military has denied Iran’s claim that it struck an uncrewed American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the report a “total lie.” Iran’s state media had alleged that the US vessel was attempting to enter an area Tehran considers restricted.
The claim came a day after the US said it struck three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on US Navy warships.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that Tehran’s responses would now be “faster, heavier and more painful,” signalling further escalation.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran plans to establish an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz targeting vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. He said the zone would extend from the US naval blockade toward the strait and into the Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least seven people and wounded 20, including three children and five women, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. An empty hospital was also destroyed. Israel said the strikes followed a Hezbollah drone attack on its troops.
In Gaza, more than 110 bodies, including at least 70 children, were recovered from rubble in Zeitoun.
An Israeli strike separately killed a father and daughter in Gaza City. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other countries also condemned proposals to remove Palestinians from Gaza.
