ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two United States Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf after navigating what American officials described as an Iranian barrage, according to a report by CBS News.
The warships completed the passage despite what US defense officials, speaking to the American news channel on the condition of anonymity, said involved a coordinated series of threats from Iran, including missiles, drones, and small attack boats during the transit. The US military said the vessels were not hit and continued their mission through the strategic waterway.
According to United States Central Command, the destroyers were operating as part of a broader effort to restore maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been severely disrupted amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian state-linked media, however, offered a different account. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency, citing a military source, reported that US forces did not strike Iranian fast boats but instead hit two civilian vessels transporting goods from Khasab. The source claimed the incident killed five people.
The US has not confirmed these claims, and there has been no independent verification of the reported civilian casualties.
Majid Omrani, head of the Dayyer Port Fire Department, told Mehr News Agency that a fire broke out on two commercial boats at Iran’s southern port of Dayyer on the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.
Firefighters are working to contain the blaze, while the cause of the incident remains unknown, he added.
The transit comes amid a US-led maritime initiative -- dubbed Project Freedom -- aimed at guiding commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of disruptions caused by attacks, sea mines, and heightened military activity.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passed before its virtual closure, has become a focal point of confrontation during the ongoing tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran.