TEHRAN — A spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command denied an earlier claim by the US that two Navy destroyers transited the waterway, adding that “initiative over the passage of any vessel rests with the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, according to Iran’s state-media.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of all oil and natural gas traded once passed, is expected to be one of the most challenging points of negotiations between the US and Iran, currently taking place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters “strongly” denied that US vessels had approached or entered the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting a US claim that two warships had transited the waterway.
The headquarters, which commands all Iranian armed forces, said authority over any vessel’s passage “lies with the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Earlier on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two warships transited the strait and began mine-clearing operations in the Gulf.
