[iNews24 reporter Kim Da-woon] Iranian state-aligned media reported that one U.S. Navy escort ship was struck by Iranian missiles and forced to withdraw.
On the 4th (local time), the semi-official Fars News Agency said one U.S. Navy escort vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two missiles in the Gulf of Oman and subsequently turned back.
Citing local sources in southern Iran, Fars reported the U.S. escort vessel tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz near Jask in southeastern Iran while allegedly violating navigation and vessel-transit regulations.
Jask is a port city on the Gulf of Oman, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
Fars said the warship ignored warnings from the Iranian navy and pushed ahead with its maneuvers, at which point it became the target of a missile attack. The agency reported the ship sustained two missile hits and was unable to continue its transit, forcing it to withdraw.
State television, citing the military public affairs office, said Iran’s swift and decisive warnings thwarted attempts by U.S. Navy destroyers to enter the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced on the morning of the 4th that he would launch \"Project Freedom\" to support transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the plan, U.S. naval vessels would escort civilian ships trapped in the Gulf (Persian Gulf) through the Strait of Hormuz to safety.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said the same day that it had significantly expanded its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
