Editor’s note: This is a developing story.
Two U.S.-flagged merchant ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said on Monday as Iranian media circulated claims that the country had struck an American warship.
CENTCOM quickly denied reports, stating that no U.S. naval vessels had been struck.
Tehran earlier said it had forced a U.S. warship to divert away from the strait, Reuters reported, adding that a senior Iranian official said that Iran had fired a warning shot and it was was not clear if that shot damaged the ship.
President Trump on Sunday announced “Project Freedom,” a U.S. effort to guide ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a “humanitarian gesture” amid the conflict.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.