3 fishermen injured off the coast of Iran... and Tehran accuses Washington

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Local authorities in Hormozgan Province, southeastern Iran, announced on Wednesday that 3 fishermen were injured in an accident linked to an unidentified drone off the coast of the Sirik region.

Local sources indicated that a fishing ship was targeted within the fishing area in Sirik in Hormozgan Governorate, but the details regarding how the accident occurred and the targeting of the ship have not yet been officially announced, while the Iranian Tasnim Agency linked the incident to an American attack on fishermen.

While a video clip showed the injured fishermen on board a fishing boat, as they were being transported to the coast, without clarifying the circumstances of the accident or the nature of the injuries.

On the other hand, there has been no official comment yet from the American side.

The incident came as a US military official, who requested to remain anonymous, confirmed that Iran has changed its methods in a fundamental way, as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard began using unarmed observers on board small boats to monitor potential targets, including US Navy ships, after the United States destroyed most of Iran’s radar capabilities, according to what was reported by Reuters. The official added that, in a previously undisclosed incident that occurred last week, the US military monitored Iranian observers working from a sailboat and informing the Revolutionary Guard of the targets. He pointed out that the American forces confronted the boat and ordered those on board to leave it and then destroyed it, without causing any human casualties.

This incident also came amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, after US President Donald Trump renewed his warnings to Iran, saying that the United States is “tired of it” and intends to strike it harshly.

The United States and Israel launched widespread attacks on Iran on February 28, before reaching a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran in June, which called for an immediate cessation of combat operations on various fronts, including Lebanon. However, the confrontation was renewed on July 8, with the United States resuming large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing Tehran of violating the understandings related to the Strait of Hormuz.