The U.S. military confirmed this week that it fired upon and destroyed two small Iranian boats after they attempted to seize a U.S. drone ship in waters near Iran. According to Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, "Iranian small boats recently attempted to take possession of a U.S. unmanned surface vessel, but they were unsuccessful after CENTCOM forcefully responded." Iranian state media reported that two fishing boats were attacked in Hormozgan province on Iran's southern coast, with several fishermen reportedly missing, according to a local official. This incident adds to the ongoing tension between the U.S. and Iran, which has been escalating for more than six months. The conflict centers around control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which nearly 20% of the world's oil passes. The U.S. has been working to reduce Iran's influence in the region, which has led to increased military activity and heightened risks of conflict. The situation has contributed to rising oil and gasoline prices, creating political challenges for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, as higher fuel costs affect both the economy and public sentiment. The drone involved in the incident is a "Saildrone," a small, autonomous vessel roughly 25 feet (8 meters) long. U.S. Central Command has been using Saildrones in the region for several years to monitor maritime traffic and ensure the safety of shipping routes. Hawkins confirmed that all of the command's surface drones "remain fully accounted for." The military has consistently maintained that the technology used in Saildrones is commercially available and does not involve sensitive or classified information. This latest incident follows another event reported earlier by Axios, in which Iranian state television claimed that the country's navy had captured a U.S. underwater drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Hawkins had previously stated that an Anduril Dive-LD drone had malfunctioned while surveying the area, and that the U.S. no longer had control of it. He emphasized that the drone was defective and an older model, which did not collect sensitive data or carry classified equipment such as sonar or radar.