Iran says it struck unmanned US vessel entering Strait of Hormuz

Iran said on Sunday that it had struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the US military rejected as a "total lie". The exchange came a day after the US military said its forces struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Navy warships being targeted with ballistic missiles.

The latest claims mark another escalation in the conflict, which began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Although a fragile ceasefire was announced in June, intermittent fighting has continued as negotiations collapsed and both sides kept trying to impose military and economic costs on each other.

Experts described the reported attack as dangerous, particularly because Iran's earlier attacks at sea had targeted commercial shipping. The US and Iran resumed attacks last week after about a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran's southern coast again coming under attack.