Iran denies that any commercial ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz

TEHRAN - Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied on May 4 that any commercial ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military earlier said two US-flagged merchant vessels had transited through the vital waterway.

“No commercial vessels or oil tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past few hours, and the claims of American officials are baseless and completely false,” the Guards said in a statement on Telegram.

The commander of Iran’s army Amir Hatami meanwhile said on X: “American destroyers, using the trick of turning off the radar, were approaching the Strait of Hormuz, but our response was fire.”

“Cruise missiles and combat drones took flight. The security of this region is Iran’s red line,” he added.

The US military earlier said American guided-missile destroyers had passed through Hormuz and entered the Gulf as part of a new mission to restore maritime traffic.

US Central Command said that “two US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey”. AFP