Trump Team Denies Iran Hit US Warship Entering Hormuz Strait

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In a comment to Reuters, a senior Iranian official added that it was unclear whether the warship had sustained any damage.

The Tasnim news agency published a statement from the Iranian army's public relations department, saying that“with the decisive and swift warning from the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the entry of enemy American Zionist destroyers into the Strait of Hormuz area was prevented.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly denied the claim, posting a“fact check” on social media.

“CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a US warship with two missiles,” the post said.“TRUTH: No US Navy ships have been struck. US forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”

Another post stated that“US Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian [Persian] Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom” and that“American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping.”

It added that“as a first step, two US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey.”

Iran's shuttering of the Strait of Hormuz to unauthorized ships has allowed it to wreak havoc on the Western economy in retaliation for the war launched by the US and Israel at the end of February.

About 20% of the globe's seaborne oil shipments pass through the waterway, and its closure has caused global oil prices to spike, driving US gas prices to more than $4 on average and rippling inflation through the economy.

Observers of open-source marine tracking reports have said tracking did not show that two US-flagged merchant ships passed through the strait on Monday. However, it is possible the ships could have navigated the strait with the tracking technology disabled.

While information from the strait remains scarce, Matt Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has said the public should remain skeptical of the Trump administration's denials given its track record.