TEHRAN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's military said Monday its naval forces fired cruise missiles, rockets, and drones near U.S. warships in the Gulf of Oman to warn them against entering the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions in the strategic waterway.
In a statement on its website, the Iranian army said its navy held the United States and Israel responsible for any consequences of what it called "precarious" actions near the strait.
According to the statement, U.S. destroyers initially switched off their radars while operating in the Gulf of Oman in an apparent attempt to approach the strait undetected. When the ships reactivated their radars, Iranian forces identified them and issued a radio warning.
After the vessels did not change course, Iranian forces issued a second warning, saying any attempt to enter the strait would be treated as a ceasefire violation and met with a response. When those warnings were also ignored, Iranian naval forces fired cruise missiles, rockets and drones near what the statement called "aggressive enemy" vessels.
Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps navy struck a U.S. Navy frigate with two missiles as it attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. The ship had sailed from near Iran's southern port of Jask and was targeted after ignoring warnings to stop, Fars said. The vessel later withdrew from the area, according to the report.
The U.S. Central Command denied the report.
The incidents followed remarks Sunday by President Donald Trump, who said the United States would help guide ships stranded in the strait out of the waterway on Monday.
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters responded by warning that "any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive U.S. army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz," state news agency IRNA reported.
Iran has tightened its grip on the strait since Feb. 28, when it barred safe passage for vessels linked to the United States or Israel following joint strikes on Iranian territory.
On Monday, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the Strait of Hormuz would "not return to its pre-war status." Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks during a closed-door session with lawmakers, citing the semi-official Mehr news agency.
Rezaei said Araghchi told lawmakers Iran would not negotiate with the United States over its nuclear program at present and was prepared for "any scenario." Lawmakers also pressed that Iran should not allow Trump an opportunity to ease the standoff and called for recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the strait, Rezaei said.
Iran and its adversaries reached a ceasefire agreement April 8. Indirect talks between Iranian and U.S. delegations in Islamabad on April 11-12 failed to produce a broader deal. The United States subsequently imposed what it described as an anti-Iran maritime blockade in the strait. ■
