Fars News Agency reported May 4 that a U.S. Navy escort ship attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two Iranian missiles in the Gulf of Oman and subsequently withdrew.
Yonhap quoted Fars as saying the U.S. escort vessel tried to pass near waters off Jask in southeastern Iran in violation of navigation and vessel-transit rules.
Jask is a port city on the Gulf of Oman adjacent to the eastern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the outlet, shortly after the U.S. warship ignored warnings from the Iranian navy and continued its maneuver, Iranian forces targeted it with missiles. The report said the ship took two hits, could not continue its voyage and turned back.
Iran’s state broadcaster, citing the military’s public affairs office, said the Iranian military’s \"swift and decisive warning\" prevented attempts by U.S. Navy destroyers to enter the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) flatly denied the Iranian report that a U.S. Navy ship had been struck.
CENTCOM, which oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East, dismissed the Iranian media accounts on X (formerly Twitter), saying the claims were false. The command added that U.S. forces are supporting \"Project Freedom\" and are tightening maritime blockade measures on Iranian ports.
Earlier, Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official saying Iranian forces fired warning shots to prevent a U.S. warship from entering the Strait. The official said it was unclear whether the U.S. vessel sustained damage.
That morning, U.S. forces launched \"Project Freedom,\" an operation to escort civilian vessels trapped in the Gulf (Persian Gulf) through the Strait of Hormuz.
