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 (IRGC), claimed an unidentified US ship was hit by two missiles near the port of Jask.
There was no immediate response from US Central Command (CENTCOM).
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.
Meanwhile, the US has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran to pass through the strait and has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13.
As of Sunday, 49 commercial ships had been forced to turn back by the embargo, U.S. Central Command said Sunday.
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 center also warned vessel masters that attempting to use the usual routes “should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”
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
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