ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday rejected Iranian claims that American forces retreated from the Gulf of Oman after Iran fired warning shots, reiterating that US forces continue to enforce a maritime blockade against Iran.
“Iran claims it fired warning shots at U.S. warships in the Gulf of Oman, forcing American vessels to ‘retreat’ toward the Indian Ocean. FALSE,” CENTCOM said in a post on X, emphasizing that “Iranian forces did NOT attack or fire at U.S. Navy warships.”
It added that US forces “continue to operate freely in regional waters while fully enforcing the ongoing blockade against Iran.”
The exchange comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent truce between the US, Israel, and Iran after a war that began on February 28 and was largely halted by a ceasefire on April 8. While major hostilities have subsided, tensions have persisted through maritime confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz and continued negotiations mediated by several countries.
Iranian state media on Friday reported that satellite imagery showed the “terrorist fleet of the U.S. military has dispersed; the same fleet that intended to enter the Persian Gulf 48 hours ago with its navigation systems turned off, but faced a decisive response from the Army's Navy and retreated.”
The claim came after the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) announced on Friday that its forces had carried out “a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel MT DAVINA” in the Indian Ocean.
INDOPACOM warned that its forces will “disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” adding that “International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors.”
CENTCOM said the same day that forces enforcing the naval blockade against Iran have redirected 129 commercial vessels and disabled six others to ensure compliance.
The latest developments come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place as long as Iran continued to restrict access through the Strait of Hormuz.
