Several US navy ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, Axios said in a report that was disputed by an intelligence official and Iranian media.
The crossing, the first time since the start of the conflict, wasn’t coordinated with Iran, Axios said, citing a US official it didn’t identify. The operation saw the ships cross the strait from east to west to the Gulf before making their way back to the Arabian sea, according to the report.
However, a regional intelligence official said two US Navy Arleigh Burke–class destroyers attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday but were forced to turn back after encountering threats from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which also launched a UAV in the direction of the vessels.
The incident happened around noon Dubai time, as US and Iranian delegations were in Islamabad for negotiations, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss confidential matters.
Neither the White House nor Pentagon immediately answered a request for comment.
Separately, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said the nation’s armed forces monitored a US destroyer seen moving from Fujairah toward the Strait of Hormuz and conveyed this to the US via Pakistani mediators. The US vessel returned from the strait after Tehran warned that it would be targeted, according to Fars.
Pakistan is mediating in peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad amid a two-week ceasefire in the hostilities, now in their second month.
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