US official: Iran did not hit US Navy ship near Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s navy did not hit a United States Navy ship near the Strait of Hormuz, a US official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Monday afternoon.

The denial comes after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-aligned Fars News Agency claimed that two missiles had hit a US naval frigate near Jask, forcing it to turn back.

According to Fars, the missiles had been launched after the US “violated security protocols for transit and navigation near Jask with the intent to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The incident comes after Iranian officials warned earlier on Monday that a US proposal to escort and guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz would constitute a violation of the ceasefire.

A statement issued Monday by the unified command of Iran’s armed forces warned the US Navy against entering the Strait of Hormuz. “We have repeatedly stated that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and under all circumstances, any safe passage must be coordinated with the armed forces.”

The statement explicitly threatened to attack any foreign military forces, particularly US forces, that attempt to enter or approach the strait.

Also on Monday, the IRGC’s Navy issued a new map of the area of the Strait of Hormuz under its control, state media reported.

The area starts in the west with a line between the westernmost tip of Iran’s Qeshm island to the United Arab Emirates’ Umm al Quwain emirate. In the east, the area stops at a line between Iran’s Mount Mobarak and the UAE’s Emirate of Fujairah.

It was not immediately clear if and to what extenct their claimed area of control has changed.

Reuters contributed to this story.