ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Media affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday denied claims by the US military that six Iranian combat boats had been targeted, saying instead that two civilian boats were targeted and five civilians were killed on board.

Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Brad Cooper said on Monday that army helicopters had targeted six Iranian speedboats belonging to the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz, while President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that they had shot seven Iranian small boats.

“None of the IRGC combat vessels were hit,” Tasnim News reported, citing a military source. “An investigation was conducted into the nature of this news from local sources and it was determined that the American aggressor forces attacked and fired on two small boats carrying people that were moving from Khasab on the coast of Oman towards the coast of Iran, while targeting their boats and martyring 5 civilian passengers.”

Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway where roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil is shipped, as a means in its war against the US and Israel. In response, the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The maritime restrictions largely continue despite a recently-extended ceasefire in place.

The developments come amid growing unease, after Trump announced that the US will be escorting ships belonging to neutral countries across the chokepoint.

On Monday, different parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were targeted with a series of missile strikes blamed on Iran, marking a shift after weeks of tense calm, owing to the US-Iran ceasefire of April 8.

“This hasty and clumsy process of the enemy is due to the indescribable fear and nightmare of the American military from the IRGC speedboat operations,” the military source noted.

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled since the ceasefire began, with no clear timeline for when face-to-face talks might resume.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Sunday that the US has responded to a Tehran proposal through Pakistani mediators, adding that the reply is currently under review.