President Trump said Sunday the U.S. military destroyed nine Iranian warships and is in the process of destroying the rest of Iran's navy.
Why it matters: The U.S. strikes target Iran's ability to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply flows.
What he's saying: "I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important. We are going after the rest. They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
- A U.S. defense official confirmed Trump's post.
Driving the news: On Saturday, Iranian naval ships broadcast messages on an emergency radio channel warning commercial ships the Strait of Hormuz was closed.
- Over the past 24 hours, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed responsibility for attacks on commercial ships and tankers.
- Commercial shipping around the strait has been disrupted with many ships anchored at sea, according to open-source ship tracking data. But a U.S. defense official said some ships are still flowing through the strait.
State of play: On Sunday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement it sank an Iranian "Jamaran-class" corvette at a Chabahar pier in southern Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
- "As the President said, members of Iran's armed forces, IRGC and police must lay down your weapons. Abandon ship," CENTCOM said in its statement.
