From Newsgroup: rec.aviation.military

U.S. destroys 2 Iranian boats trying to steal unmanned sea drone

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. rCo The U.S. military said Tuesday that it opened fire
and destroyed two small Iranian boats this week that were trying to
steal a drone ship in the waters off Iran, the latest back-and-forth
fire in the stalemated war.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said the Iranian
boats rCLrecently attempted to take possession of a U.S. unmanned surface vesselrCY but failed after the military rCLforcefully responded.rCY

Iranian state media reported Monday that a pair of fishing boats came
under attack in Hormozgan province on IranrCOs southern coast and that
several fishermen were reported missing, citing a provincial official.

It is the latest volley of fire in the more than 6-month-old war as both
sides seek control over the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States
has succeeded in recent weeks in loosening IranrCOs grip over the critical energy shipping corridor. But the impact of the unpopular conflict has
driven up the cost of oil and gasoline prices.

rCLOil will drop like a rock as soon as the Military Conflict with Iran is over, and that will not be long,rCY Trump asserted Monday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called the foreign minister of
Oman to discuss the Gulf Arab countryrCOs efforts to de-escalate tensions
and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.

Global oil markets have been further roiled by increased attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen against Saudi ArabiarCOs shipping
and infrastructure. The new front in the Middle East conflict has cut
off or hindered alternate routes for Saudi Arabia to get its oil to the
world, including an attack days ago that damaged its biggest pipeline
and advances that strengthened the HouthisrCO ability to choke off Saudi
oil exports out of the Red Sea.

In addition to the hit to the global economy, new reports out of
Washington have detailed the U.S. costs for the war against Iran, the reduction to stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, and the damage
that has been inflicted on American aircraft, bases and diplomatic outposts.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the war
has cost the Pentagon more than $38 billion through Aug. 1 and will cost
up to $3 billion a month or more depending on the intensity of the
conflict. That figure largely aligns with what Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth has told Congress that the fighting has cost so far.

The CBO said the war is expected to contribute to inflation into the
first quarter of next year.

Iranian strikes also have damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings
and other structures at U.S. bases in the Middle East as well as dozens
of American aircraft and drones, according to a Pentagon inspector
general report.
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