\n Four vessels that tried to transit the Strait of Hormuz were fired upon by Iran\u2019s military and forced to turn around early Thursday morning local time, Iranian state-linked media outlets reported.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cFour vessels attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Persian Gulf without coordinating with the security forces responsible for the strait,\u201d multiple Iranian state-affiliated media reported on Thursday, citing a military source.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey were warned, and after ignoring the warning, warning shots were fired toward them, forcing them to turn back,\u201d according to the reports.\n <\/p>\n
\n The Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported that the IRGC Navy had fired a warning shot at \u201cAmerican oil tanker\u201d forcing it to turn around.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIn response,\u201d Tasnim said, the US military \u201cfired at a barren area near Bandar Abbas,\u201d a strategic port city where explosions were reported<\/a> early on Thursday morning local time.\n <\/p>\n \n A US official earlier told CNN<\/a> that the US military shot down four Iranian drones and struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.\n <\/p>\n \n CNN has sought comment from US Central Command about the Iranian media reports that the US strikes were in response to the Iranian action.\n <\/p>\n \n A maritime agency that monitors shipping in the waterway, UKMTO<\/a>, has not yet notified any incidents regarding ships reporting being fired upon Thursday.\n <\/p>\n \n Earlier this week: The US also launched strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz.\n <\/p>\n