Claim
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed it struck three oil tankers and three US-affiliated vessels traveling through what it called 'unauthorised' routes in the strait
Attributed to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy
Evidence
Multiple mainstream outlets — Free Press Journal, The Statesman, The Tribune (India), ABC News, and The Jerusalem Post — reported in June 2025 that Iran's IRGC Navy issued a statement, published via its Sepah News outlet, claiming it had struck three oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz via an 'unauthorised' route, plus three US-affiliated vessels elsewhere, in retaliation for alleged US strikes on Iranian tankers. All of these reports consistently describe this as a claim made by the IRGC in a statement, not as independently verified fact. I was unable to find a dedicated Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo investigation specifically confirming or debunking whether the strikes actually occurred as described, and search tool access was interrupted before I could complete additional searches on independent verification of the underlying military claim.
Supporting sources
Assessment
Multiple independent, mainstream news outlets consistently and accurately report that the IRGC Navy did in fact issue this exact statement via its official channel (Sepah News), so the claim as an accurate representation of what the IRGC said is well corroborated; however, whether the underlying military strikes actually occurred as claimed has not been independently verified by any fact-checking organization I could find.
Confidence
Some independent corroboration was found, but it isn't yet conclusive.
Timeline
Sep 6, 2026, 9:51 AM UTC
UnverifiedInitial assessment.
Sep 18, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC
ConfirmedMultiple independent, mainstream news outlets consistently and accurately report that the IRGC Navy did in fact issue this exact statement via its official channel (Sepah News), so the claim as an accurate representation of what the IRGC said is well corroborated; however, whether the underlying military strikes actually occurred as claimed has not been independently verified by any fact-checking organization I could find.
First observed Sep 6, 2026, 9:51 AM UTC · Last reviewed Sep 18, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC