Iran claimed Monday to have struck an American naval vessel on the first day of a bid by Washington to force open the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping.
The semiofficial Fars News Agency, which has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed an unidentified US ship was hit by two missiles near the port of Jask.
There was no immediate response from US Central Command.
President Trump announced on Truth Social Sunday that the US would “guide” ships out of the strait, warning that Iranian efforts to block them “will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
Iran responded by warning that any ships attempting to pass through the waterway must coordinate with them first, and that any effort to force open the strait would be resisted.
“We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive US military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” Major General Pilot Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB.
On Monday, the US-led Joint Maritime Information Center advised ships to cross the strait via Oman’s territorial waters, saying it had set up an “enhanced security area.”
The American military has said the initiative might involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members but has not specified what kind of assistance or escorts it would provide ships.
With Post wires