US disputes Iran’s account of GFS Pride sinking

US Central Command said on October 15 that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps projectile had struck the container ship GFS Pride, rejecting Iran’s account that the vessel hit a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Revolutionary Guard had said the ship encountered a naval mine after taking a route that had not been coordinated with Iranian authorities. The Iranian account described an explosion followed by a fire aboard the vessel.

The US command offered a different sequence: the Singapore-flagged container ship was struck by a projectile and subsequently sank during a tow toward shore. It attributed the projectile strike to the Revolutionary Guard.

In the same statement, Central Command said more than 40 commercial vessels had passed through the strait during the preceding 24 hours. It said the main shipping routes remained clear of naval mines.