TEHRAN, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Wednesday that 23 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours after obtaining permission from its forces.
The vessels, including oil tankers, as well as container and commercial ships, crossed the waterway in coordination with and under the protection of IRGC forces, the navy said in a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.
The navy also said Iran is exercising smart control over the Strait of Hormuz continuously and with power, adding that "the aggression and malice of the U.S. terrorist army are the main causes of the insecurity in the Persian Gulf."
Iran tightened its grip on the strait beginning Feb. 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.
The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway.■
