Iranian and U.S. authorities issued disparate accounts of a tense naval interaction this week, in which Tehran says its forces repelled an attempt to break through the country’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported Friday that a U.S. Navy force tried to enter the Persian Gulf through the strait, but backed off after Iran fired warning shots at the warships.
“As part of ongoing operations to counter maritime disruptions, harassment, and the seizure of commercial vessels and oil tankers by the United States military, the intruding destroyers DDG-103 and DDG-8 departed the Sea of Oman for the Indian Ocean,” a statement from the Iranian army, published by state-affiliated media outlet IRNA, read.
The Iranian army added that several U.S. warships, including the amphibious assault vessel USS Tripoli, were forced to leave the Gulf of Oman after interaction with Iran’s forces.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, flatly denied Iran’s version of events in a social media post.
“Iranian forces did NOT attack or fire at U.S. Navy warships. Doing so would be a gross violation of the ceasefire. U.S. forces continue to operate freely in regional waters while fully enforcing the ongoing blockade against Iran,” the statement from CENTCOM read.
The U.S. and Iran are operating rival blockades in the same waters, with Washington hoping to crush Tehran’s economy by turning away any ships entering and exiting Iran’s ports.
Iran, meanwhile, has kept the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, closed for more than three months. Its closure has put pressure on international oil and gas prices.
Crude oil prices hovered around $80 a barrel on Friday, and average U.S. gas prices sat at $4.22 a gallon, both well above prewar levels.
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