The U.S. military destroyed two Iranian small boats Monday after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attempted to seize an unmanned U.S. Navy vessel patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials.

The confrontation occurred near the Iranian city of Kargan and Larak Island as U.S. forces continue efforts to facilitate the movement of commercial shipping through the strategically important waterway. The Iranian boats approached the unmanned surface vessel in an apparent attempt to capture it before U.S. forces intervened.

U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed the attempted seizure and said the Iranian effort was unsuccessful. The U.S. response destroyed both boats, preventing Iran's forces from taking control of the American vessel.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical shipping route for global energy markets, but traffic has fallen sharply amid the ongoing conflict. Reuters reported Tuesday that only four commodity vessels crossed the waterway Monday, compared with a pre-conflict average of about 125 daily transits.

The latest confrontation adds to a series of military encounters between U.S. and Iranian forces around the strait. The United States has previously destroyed Iranian vessels after attacks on American forces and has continued using naval and unmanned systems as it works to protect shipping through the waterway.