US denies Iran's claim

THE United States military has denied claims that Iran struck a US navy vessel after American forces offered to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds of ships have been stuck since the Iran war began.

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A bulk cargo ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off the port of Bandar Abbas, in Iran, on Saturday

(AMIRHOSEIN KHORGOOI/ISNA/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

US Central Command also said two American-flagged merchant ships had “successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz” and that US navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore commercial shipping traffic in the strait.

Its statement on social media said the destroyers passed through the strait “in support of Project Freedom” and that the merchant ships were “safely headed on their journey.” It did not say when the navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.