Iran claims Hormuz attacks pushed US warships away from coast

September 28, 2026 at 10:43 PM3 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Iran is claiming success in attacking ships near the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strikes forced Washington to move its warships further from the Iranian coast. US media reported on Sunday that eight US Marines suffered smoke inhalation and potential traumatic brain injuries on September 14 after an Iranian antiship cruise missile targeted their vessel. The Pentagon has quietly added 29 US sailors and eight Marines to its war-wounded list, bringing the total since February 28 to 861 service members.

Key Facts

Eight US Marines suffered smoke inhalation and potential traumatic brain injuries on September 14 after an Iranian antiship cruise missile targeted their vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon has quietly added 29 US sailors and eight Marines to its war-wounded list, bringing the total since February 28 to 861 service members.
At least 19 deaths have been recorded since the start of the war on February 28.
Iranian state-linked media claimed US warships pulled back earlier this month from their previous line of blockade positions near the Iranian port of Chabahar and the entrance to the Gulf of Oman.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said US forces are refraining from advancing further "because of the painful blows they have suffered at the hands of the valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz".

The Attack

US media reported on Sunday that eight US Marines suffered from smoke inhalation and potential traumatic brain injuries on September 14 after being targeted by an Iranian antiship cruise missile in the Strait of Hormuz. The US officials quoted in the reports said the vessel the Marines were on when attacked was not a US Navy ship. Al Jazeera reached out to US Central Command (CENTCOM) for comment but did not receive a response. CENTCOM previously said US vessels had successfully evaded Iranian ballistic missile attacks earlier this month.

US Naval Movements

In recent days, Iranian state-linked media claimed US warships pulled back earlier this month from their previous line of blockade positions. Previously positioned closer to the Iranian port of Chabahar and the entrance to the Gulf of Oman, the media reports said they had now moved further into the central Arabian Sea, reportedly to avoid Iranian missiles. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appeared to make a reference to US naval movements in the latest message attributed to him published by state media on Monday. US forces are now refraining from advancing further "because of the painful blows they have suffered at the hands of the valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz", he said. "Whenever they have taken that risk, they have brought harm upon themselves," Khamenei's message said. "And soon the Arabian Sea, too, will empty itself of them."

Ongoing Blockade

The US continues to maintain a naval blockade of Iran's southern ports in some form, while rejecting the Islamic Republic's latest proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon had earlier quietly added 29 US sailors and eight Marines to its list of war-wounded, increasing the total since the start of the war on February 28 to 861 service members. At least 19 deaths have been recorded. With Tehran saying it is ready for both defensive and offensive military action if necessary, analysts believe controlled escalation is expected, even if renewed all-out war is unlikely to be on the immediate horizon. Iran's authorities are likely to continue targeting ships because the strategy has served Tehran's aims during the war, said maritime law and security expert Ian Ralby, pointing to the similar success of the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen for nearly three years.