U.S. Central Command denied Iranian state media claims Monday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a U.S. warship with two missiles, saying no U.S. Navy ships were hit as American forces supported Project Freedom near the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X that U.S. forces were supporting Project Freedom and enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The command did not report any strike on a U.S. vessel.
CENTCOM later said U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers were operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of the mission. The command said American forces were helping restore commercial shipping through the waterway.
Two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels also successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and were safely continuing their journeys, according to CENTCOM.
CENTCOM said its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, flew over regional waters in and near the Strait of Hormuz in an AH-64 Apache helicopter on May 3. Cooper also visited U.S. sailors and Marines aboard two U.S. Navy warships patrolling the Arabian Sea, the command said in a statement.
The CENTCOM updates followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of Project Freedom, described in the collected reports as a mission to guide neutral ships through or out of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official, that the plan does not include escorts by U.S. warships.
Iranian officials also issued warnings over U.S. activity in the waterway, according to the reports. An Iranian official identified as Azizi said any U.S. interference in Hormuz would be treated as a ceasefire violation. The reports also said Iran’s armed forces command warned the U.S. Navy not to enter the Strait of Hormuz.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a report that a northbound bulk carrier was attacked Sunday by multiple small craft about 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran. The crew was safe and no damage was reported, the agency added.
Open Source Intel described the Sirik incident as a possible IRGC seizure attempt, but that characterization was not confirmed.
UKMTO also reported that ships near Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, received VHF orders to leave anchorage. Open Source Intel reported that cargo ships and tankers later began leaving Ras Al Khaimah and Mina Saqr after VHF warnings it attributed to the IRGC.
The reports also said Iranian state broadcaster IRIB claimed it had evidence that the United Arab Emirates was involved in recent strikes on Iran. That claim was not independently verified.
A tanker about 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, UAE, was hit by what it described as IRGC projectiles, Open Source Intel further reported.
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