IRGC claims of strikes on 5th Fleet headquarters 'false': US military

US Central Command has rejected Iranian claims that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully struck the US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a regional air base with missiles and drones, saying all attacks failed.

CentCom labeled the Iranian assertions "false" and stated that "All Iranian attacks on American forces failed."

US forces "remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression," it added.

The post included a graphic with and the words "Fact Check."

The IRGC had claimed the strikes were retaliation for recent US actions, including strikes on Qeshm Island and operations against vessels in the region.

Tensions have escalated amid ongoing US naval operations in the Arabian Gulf and reported Iranian responses during a fragile ceasefire.

No US personnel were reported injured in the alleged attacks, according to US military statements.

Details on any interceptions or debris were not immediately specified in the command's public response.

The exchange comes as the US has conducted operations against non-compliant vessels and defended against what it describes as Iranian aggression in key waterways.

Iranian state media amplified the claims of successful hits on US targets, while US officials maintained that defenses held.

CentCom did not immediately release additional evidence or further details beyond the statement.

The Pentagon had no immediate comment.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the conflict with Iran "is over" Tuesday during a testy Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

This drew a sharp rebuke from Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, who accused the Trump administration of leaving the US in a "costly stalemate".

The exchange came as Rubio testified on the State Department's budget request amid ongoing tensions with Iran following US military action that began in late February.

A Pakistan-brokered ceasefire has been in place since early April, but disputes persist over sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.

Booker pressed Rubio on the economic fallout at home and what he described as a failure to achieve decisive results.

"We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth, and we're in a stalemate with Iran. And now, we're begging to get back into a deal that you all trashed in the first place," Booker said.

"The war is not over."

Rubio interrupted, saying: "There's no one begging for anything here," and later stated flatly, "The war is over." He argued that Iran's economy is in free fall, its navy has been largely destroyed and its leadership faces mounting internal pressure.

"Iran had street protests going on before all of this," Rubio said. "All of those factors, economic factors in Iran, are far worse today than they were six months ago. ... Iran has no navy left."

Booker countered that Americans are feeling the pain at the gas pump and in higher costs, while the conflict continues to drain resources.

"Yet this thing still hasn't been resolved," he said.

Rubio defended the administration's approach, saying any sanctions relief under discussion would be strictly conditioned on verifiable limits to Iran's nuclear programme.

He rejected comparisons to the 2015 nuclear deal that former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.

The hearing highlighted partisan divisions over the Trump administration's Iran policy, with Democrats criticising the military engagement's costs and results, while Republicans have largely backed the strategy's emphasis on maximum pressure.

Rubio faces additional congressional scrutiny this week on the issue.

No immediate resolution to the diplomatic talks was announced.