By SCM International Desk I Monday, Sept 14, 2026
WASHINGTON — U.S. Army AH-64E Guardian attack helicopters targeted and struck two Iranian fishing vessels in the waters off southern Iran, according to Iranian regional officials and local Iranian news reports.
The incident took place approximately 12 nautical miles from Larak Island and 30 nautical miles off the coast of Bandar Kargan in Minab County, a coastal zone situated along the strategic Strait of Hormuz in Iran’s Hormozgan Province.
Local Iranian state media and officials in Hormozgan Province reported that several fishermen were missing in the immediate aftermath of the strike, raising concerns over potential casualties and fatalities among the crew members on board both boats.
Local accounts initially mischaracterized the attack as a drone strike before provincial statements indicated the involvement of low-flying U.S. rotary-wing aircraft operating in the area.
The United States military has not yet issued a formal confirmation or verified the circumstances that led to the engagement. The region remains under high surveillance by the U.S. Navy and military coalition assets aimed at protecting commercial shipping routes.
The waters surrounding Larak Island and Minab County represent one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly a fifth of the world’s petroleum traffic, making it a critical corridor for global commerce and a persistent flashpoint for military confrontation.
Over recent months, naval engagements and military encounters in the Persian Gulf have intensified significantly. U.S. forces have increased air and maritime patrols to deter potential attacks on international shipping, Iranian mine-laying efforts, and military maneuvers near shipping lanes.
The deployment of AH-64E Guardian helicopters—the U.S. Army’s primary advanced attack helicopter equipped with radar systems and precision-guided weaponry—underscores the close-range, low-altitude interdiction tactics currently deployed by American forces in maritime security operations near the Iranian coastline.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and local maritime authorities maintain a heavy presence in Hormozgan’s coastal waters, where civilian fishing operations routinely overlap with military patrol zones. Similar incidents in past months have often stemmed from fast-moving identification disputes or claims of asymmetric naval threats in restricted waters.
Local authorities in Hormozgan stated that search-and-rescue operations are currently underway in the coastal waters off Bandar Kargan to locate the missing crew members. International defense analysts warn that confirmed casualties among civilian fishermen could trigger further diplomatic strain or retaliatory responses in the narrow trade corridor.
