The US military on Thursday rejected claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Tehran controls the Strait of Hormuz, that a Singapore-registered container ship sank after "striking a naval mine" and that hundreds of American service members had been killed in Jordan.
US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said the US and regional partners maintained control of the strategic waterway despite what it described as aggression by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
“The United States and regional partners control the strait as commercial vessels continue to transit despite unwarranted IRGC aggression,” CENTCOM said, according to the statement provided.
Competing claims
The competing claims came amid heightened tensions around Hormuz. CENTCOM disputed the IRGC’s account that the GFS Pride, a Singapore-registered container ship, struck a naval mine on Wednesday while following what Iran described as an "unauthorised" and "dangerous" route off Oman.
Three FALSE Iranian claims in the past 24 hours:
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 15, 2026
CLAIM: The IRGC has continued to falsely claim control of the Strait of Hormuz.
✅ FACT: The United States and regional partners control the strait as commercial vessels continue to transit despite unwarranted IRGC… pic.twitter.com/rgpeZ95dvU
The US command said the vessel was struck by an IRGC projectile and sank while being towed toward shore.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority confirmed that the GFS Pride was struck by an unidentified projectile on Oct. 13, caught fire and subsequently sank. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
The authority also reported that a second Singapore-registered container ship, the GFS Giselle, was struck by an unidentified projectile on Oct. 14. The vessel sustained hull damage but reached a safe anchorage under its own power.
All 22 crew members were safe.
Singapore did not publicly identify the perpetrators of either attack in its statement. The cause of the GFS Pride sinking is now the subject of competing US and Iranian accounts.
CENTCOM also said more than 40 commercial vessels had transited the Strait of Hormuz in the preceding 24 hours.
That figure could not be independently verified from the maritime authority’s statement.
The comments came as shipping through Hormuz remains severely disrupted by attacks on commercial vessels and heightened security risks.
The United States disputes Iran’s assertion that it controls or has fully closed the strait.
CENTCOM said commercial and energy traffic continues to move through Hormuz and rejected Iranian claims of control, saying US forces and regional partners helped ship more than 19 million barrels of crude oil through the waterway in a single day.
Latest updates
Iran said a cargo ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a naval mine; a US official said Iran likely attacked the vessel with a missile. Iran’s account and the US claim could not immediately be independently reconciled.
Maritime security reporting recorded at least five incidents involving tankers and other commercial ships around Hormuz in 48 hours, including drone strikes, according to UKMTO-linked reporting and IMO data cited by Reuters.
Iran is reportedly shifting toward attacks on ship-to-ship oil transfers near the strait, expanding the threat beyond transiting vessels, according to officials cited by Reuters.
CENTCOM maintains that the strait remains open to commercial and energy traffic, directly contradicting Tehran’s “closed” characterisation.
Iran’s foreign minister has said Tehran is reviewing the US response to a proposed seven-day plan to reopen the strait, but the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place.