Iran’s navy did not hit a United States Navy ship near the Strait of Hormuz, a US official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Monday afternoon, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) noting that two US-flagged ships successfully transited the Strait on Monday, a claim Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied.
CENTCOM earlier confirmed that no US ship had been hit in an afternoon post to X/Twitter, adding that “US forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”
The denial follows a report from the IRGC-aligned Fars News Agency claiming that two missiles had hit a US naval frigate near the port of Jask at the southern entrance to the strait, forcing it to turn back.
Tehran has prepared other scenarios that it will activate “if necessary,” according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, citing an unnamed source.
Over the past few months, Iran has repeatedly claimed to have struck several US naval ships operating in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in early March.
Then, CENTCOM issued a statement on X saying that the reports were false and that “the missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
Additionally, the United Arab Emirates’s Foreign Ministry said that an ADNOC national tanker was struck by two drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, adding that no injuries were reported.
The UAE affirmed that the attack is a “flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which emphasizes freedom of navigation and rejects targeting commercial vessels or disrupting international maritime routes.”
“Using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of pressure or economic blackmail constitutes acts of piracy by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and poses a direct threat to the stability of the region and its people, as well as to global energy security,” the statement ended.
Strike follows Iranian warnings over US plan
The incident comes after Iranian officials warned earlier on Monday that a US proposal to escort and guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz would constitute a violation of the ceasefire.
A statement issued Monday by the unified command of Iran’s armed forces warned the US Navy against entering the Strait of Hormuz. “We have repeatedly stated that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and under all circumstances, any safe passage must be coordinated with the armed forces.”
The statement explicitly threatened to attack any foreign military forces, particularly US forces, that attempt to enter or approach the strait.
Also on Monday, the IRGC’s Navy issued a new map of the area of the Strait of Hormuz under its control, state media reported. It was not immediately clear if and to what extent their claimed area of control has changed.
The area begins in the west, along a line between the westernmost tip of Iran’s Qeshm Island and the United Arab Emirates’ emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain. In the east, the area stops at a line between Iran’s Mount Mobarak and the UAE’s Emirate of Fujairah.
James Genn and Reuters contributed to this story.
Source:
www.jpost.com
