Tehran [Iran], May 5 (ANI): Iranian state media has countered claims made by the United States regarding a recent military engagement in the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the vessels targeted were civilian craft rather than military boats.

Reports indicate that the six 'so-called Iranian small boats' fired upon by US forces on Monday were not associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Instead, Tehran maintains that they were civilian vessels transporting passengers and commercial goods.

According to state media, the military action resulted in the deaths of five individuals. This claim stands in direct contrast to the account provided by Washington, which characterised the operation as a necessary security measure.

A military official, speaking to the Tasnim news agency, stated that an investigation was launched by Iranian authorities following Washington's reports of the incident. The probe allegedly concluded that US forces had 'attacked and fired upon two small cargo boats carrying civilians that were moving from Khasab on the coast of Oman towards the Iranian coast'.

The official further criticised the American military's response, characterising the strike as an overreaction to the regional presence of Iranian naval forces. 'This hasty and clumsy behaviour by the enemy stems from the excessive fear and nightmare of the US military regarding the IRGC's fast-boat operations,' the military official was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

However, the American perspective frames the event as a defensive action. American military forces targeted 'Iranian small boats' during the engagement on Monday, as part of an ongoing mission to secure critical maritime corridors.

According to the US Central Command, which is overseeing military activity in the area, Sea Hawk and Apache attack helicopters 'were used to eliminate Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping'.

Authorities in Washington maintained that the vessels were neutralised while they were 'attempting to interfere with commercial shipping'. The strike took place as part of broader US efforts directed at the 'reopen the strait' mission to ensure the unhindered flow of international trade.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as an inflexion point in the conflict in West Asia, serving as a volatile backdrop for these conflicting narratives.

The latest developments come as US CENTCOM announced its forces will begin supporting Project Freedom on May 4 to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The mission, directed by Donald Trump, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. (ANI)