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CENTCOM said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway, rejecting Iran’s claim of control after Tehran declared the strait closed amid rising tensions.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The statement came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed on Sunday and said it had intercepted multiple commercial vessels that it claimed had deviated from Tehran’s approved shipping route.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure freedom of navigation remains available in the strait.
“U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations,” the statement said.
CENTCOM also rejected Tehran’s claims over the waterway.
“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” it said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Sunday that it had intercepted multiple commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said the vessels had deviated from Tehran’s approved shipping route.
It also said warning shots were fired at one ship.
U.S. officials separately confirmed that an IRGC missile struck and damaged a commercial cargo vessel in the waterway.
The latest incidents deepened an already volatile standoff over the narrow passage.
The developments came on the same day Washington demanded that Tehran publicly affirm the Strait of Hormuz is open and commit to halting attacks on commercial shipping.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors, with roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil supply flowing through the waterway under normal conditions.
CENTCOM’s statement said traffic through the strait is continuing despite Iran’s declaration.
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