US disputes Iran strike on Navy ship trying to enter Strait of Hormuz

Iran claimed its forces struck a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday as the conflict escalates with renewed fighting.“The report came from Iranian state media and it’s a total lie,” said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman. One day earlier, the U.S. military struck three Iranian crude oil tankers in response to strikes against two U.S. Navy warships. Iran is trying to retaliate in kind, but the latest ship the United States believes Iran lied about targeting had no crew members aboard, the Associated Press reported.Fighting between both sides resumed last week. President Donald Trump has said he doesn’t expect the renewed fighting to last very long, but he made a similar statement when the conflict first started over six months ago.Tehran continues to maintain a stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz, considered the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, while the U.S. naval blockade against Iranian ports remains in place.The Trump administration is trying to exert pressure on Iran economically as well as militarily, given Tehran’s refusal to surrender or negotiate in good faith.Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened more forceful responses to U.S. attacks on Iranian oil tankers.US DESTROYS THREE IRANIAN TANKERS AFTER FAILED IRANIAN ATTACK ON NAVAL SHIPS“The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end,” Ghalibaf said on Sunday, adding that “any aggression against Iran’s interests and security will receive a faster, more intense, and more painful response.”A peace deal between the U.S. and Iran is as elusive as ever. The memorandum of understanding previously signed by both nations collapsed in July. The 60-day negotiation window set up by the agreement expired last month. Peace talks remain stalled.