Moment US kamikaze drone boats blow up Iranian naval base in latest attack
The Saronic Corsair vessels hit Iran's Bandar Abbas Naval Base, triggering huge explosions.
This is the moment the US' kamikaze drone boats destroy a naval base in Iran amid its latest wave of attacks.
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In the footage shared by the US' Central Command (CENTCOM), its Saronic Corsair vessels are seen travelling across the water before hitting Bandar Abbas Naval Base, triggering huge explosions.
The clips show three separate attacks where each boat smashes into the ports at Iran's key naval base before smoke billows into the sky.
The 24ft autonomous Saronic Corsair can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots (40mph) with a payload of up to 454kg.
It can also launch long-range strikes hitting targets up to 1,000 nautical miles away.
Explosions rang out across the Middle East last night after the US and Iran exchanged fire for a third consecutive night.
The US military said its five-hour operation early on Tuesday hit targets across Iran, including in the port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas.
Iran also unleashed on US allies and tankers on countries including Bahrain and Jordan. One person was also confirmed dead in the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian strikes in the vital waterway, according to the UAE Ministry of Defence.
The department confirmed on Monday that one Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded - two seriously - after two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.
The ministry said fires erupted on both tankers but were brought under control.
The strikes came just hours after Donald Trump announced the US was taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming he would slap a 20% charge on ships passing through.
But today, Trump declared that the contested Strait of Hormuz is open to all ship traffic except for Iran, in the latest round of hostilities between the countries after the ceasefire collapsed.
The flare-up in tensions came after Tehran fired a warning shot that struck a vessel traveling on an unapproved route, before closing the key shipping strait altogether, having warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a "severe response."
The US claimed the IRGC had 'blatantly attacked' a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz - with one civilian crew member missing after the ship was abandoned.
Shortly afterwards, US Central Command said US forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday, out of more than 300 during three nights of strikes "to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait."
Targets included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations.The Central Command said the strikes on Saturday were in response to the attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. "Commercial vessel transits through the vital international maritime corridor continue," it added.