U.S. Central Command denied an Iranian media report of a missile strike on a Navy ship as Washington moved to restore commercial shipping through Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command denied an Iranian media report Monday that a U.S. Navy ship had been hit by missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying no American naval vessels had been struck.
The denial came as the United States began “Project Freedom,” an effort announced by President Donald Trump to help merchant ships move through one of the world’s most important energy corridors after Iran’s closure of the channel left commercial vessels stranded and disrupted global fuel markets.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces were supporting the operation and continuing to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports. “No U.S. Navy ships have been struck,” the command said, adding separately that two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels had “successfully transited” the strait.
The statement followed a report from Fars, Iran’s semi-official news agency, that two missiles had hit a U.S. Navy boat after it ignored a warning from Iran’s Navy. CNBC reported that Fars described the vessel as having been forced to retreat. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran had fired a warning shot to prevent the ship from entering the strait and that it was unclear whether there had been damage.
The competing accounts could not be independently reconciled from the available source material. CENTCOM’s later statement that U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers were operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the strait directly challenged the Iranian media claim that an American warship had been disabled or turned back.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for global energy supplies. About 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually moves through the waterway, and Iran’s closure of the channel since the start of the war has pushed fuel prices higher while leaving thousands of sailors aboard trapped ships.
Trump said the U.S. would help guide neutral ships out of the restricted waterways, calling the effort a humanitarian measure for vessels and crews caught in the conflict. He warned that any interference with the operation would be handled “forcefully.”
Iran’s military had earlier warned that it would attack foreign forces entering the strait, especially U.S. forces. A senior Iranian official also warned that any U.S. attempt to interfere in the strait would be viewed as a violation of the temporary ceasefire that began April 8.
The operation is unfolding while Washington and Tehran remain in contact over a possible peace plan. Iranian state-linked media said Tehran had received a U.S. response to its latest proposal, though the United States had not formally confirmed a reply in the captured source material.
For now, the immediate test is whether the U.S. can continue moving commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz without a military clash. CENTCOM has not named the two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels it said completed the transit.
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