The Iranian army claims to have prevented the entry of US military ships into the Strait of Hormuz, the United States denies being struck by strikes

The US military stated on Monday that US Navy ships entered the Gulf as part of their mission to escort commercial vessels.

Once again, the Strait of Hormuz is in turmoil. On Monday, May 4th, the Iranian army announced in a statement that they had prevented the entry of American military ships into this highly strategic maritime passage. They later specified that the navy fired warning shots with cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones near the vessels.

Initially, the Iranian media outlet Fars News claimed on Telegram that two missiles had been launched at a US Navy ship in the strait. “The frigate, which was sailing (…) in violation of navigation and maritime safety rules near [the port] of Jask, was targeted by a missile attack after ignoring a warning from the Iranian Navy,” it wrote, without citing its sources. According to Fars News, the ship, “hit, could not continue its journey and was forced to turn back and flee the area.”

Meanwhile, the US Central Command, responsible for the country’s military operations in the Middle East, strongly denied that one of its ships was hit. However, they later stated that “two US-flagged merchant ships successfully crossed the strait.” The Centcom added that “US Navy missile destroyers are currently operating in the Gulf after crossing the Strait of Hormuz.” The Revolutionary Guards, in a statement cited by Iranian agencies, asserted that no commercial or oil tanker had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past few hours.

On Sunday, Donald Trump vaguely stated that the US would assist ships from third countries blocked in crossing the strategic strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s consumed hydrocarbons passed before the war. Iran subsequently warned that the US military would be attacked if they approached the strait.

Since the beginning of the war, Iranian forces have only allowed a handful of ships to pass, which must obtain permission to enter or leave the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation, the US claims to have blocked access to Iranian ports since April 13, without specifying the exact location and how far from the Iranian coast the US Navy is conducting these operations.