US denies Iranians struck warship with multiple missiles

The United States has denied claims by Iranian state media that Iran hit a US warship with two missiles.

“No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports,” US Central Command wrote on X on Monday.

Iranian state media earlier reported that that it had stopped a US Navy destroyer from entering the Strait of Hormuz.

“With a firm and swift warning from the Islamic Republic Navy, the entry of American and Zionist enemy destroyers into the Strait of Hormuz was prevented,” the military force wrote, as reported by Tehran Times.

The United Arab Emirates then condemned what it said was an “Iranian terrorist attack” that targeted a tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi state oil firm ADNOC that tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The back and forth comes hours after US President Donald Trump said the US would launch an effort to “guide” stranded ships from the Iran-gripped strait.

The US has recommended ships route through Omani waters south of where ships usually transit the waterway. The Joint Maritime Information Center said Monday the US had set up an enhanced security area.

Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent” countries have been affected by the Iran war, and “we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business”.

“Project Freedom” would begin on Monday morning in the Middle East, Trump said on Truth Social, adding that his representatives are having discussions with Iran that could lead to something “very positive for all”.

US Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members, but provided no details as to how they would be deployed.

Iran’s effective closure of the strait, imposed after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, has shaken global markets.

Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began.

Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was reviewing the US response to its latest proposal to end the war and made clear these are not nuclear negotiations. The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.

Cargo ships attacked nearby

On Sunday a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz said it was attacked by multiple small craft, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported, while another ship was hit by “unknown projectiles.”

They were the latest in at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the Iran war began, and a reminder of the risks if the new US effort goes forward.

No injuries were reported.

They were the first reported attacks in the area since April 22. Tehran has effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships, and the threat level in the area remains critical.