The US military’s Central Command, which manages operations in the Middle East, said 11 Iranian warships had been destroyed when the US and Israeli operation against Iran began on 28 February in the Gulf of Oman.
“Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 vessels in the Gulf of Oman, so far there are none,” the agency said in a statement.
It noted that the Iranian regime “has been harassing and attacking international shipping in the Gulf of Oman for decades. That time has passed.” The message added a video likely showing a strike on one of the Iranian vessels.
Earlier, the agency rejected Tehran’s claim that the Iranian military had allegedly managed to hit a US aircraft carrier. The command noted that the only aircraft carrier hit during the fighting was the Iranian warship Shahid Bagheri, which may have had drones on its deck. The report did not explicitly say the ship was sunk. Naval News earlier confirmed US military information that an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette had been sunk off the pier at Chah Behar in the Gulf of Oman.
US President Donald Trump said earlier that about 10 Iranian ships are already “lying on the seabed”. He noted that strikes on the Iranian navy will continue. Destroying the Iranian navy was previously named as one of the goals of the US operation, along with suppressing Iran’s missile capabilities and thwarting its nuclear programme.
Iranian authorities have not officially reported possible damage to the country’s navy.
Iran’s navy includes several dozen submarines, several frigates and corvettes, as well as dozens of missile boats, landing and patrol vessels.