Iran denies firing rockets near United States warships in the Gulf

They would be the first American sanctions against Iran since Tehran signed the nuclear deal with world powers in July that will eventually see Washington drop separate sanctions targeting that program.

Iranian naval vessels conducted rocket tests last week near the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, the USS Bulkeley destroyer and a French frigate, the FS Provence, and commercial traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the American military said Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 causing new tension between the two nations after a landmark nuclear deal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered his defense minister to speed up the production of missiles, following the USA warning of new sanctions.

In Washington, sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday the US government was preparing the sanctions, which the Wall Street Journal said would target about 12 companies and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for their suspected role in developing Iran’s missile programme.

Gen. Ramezan Sharif, a Revolutionary Guard spokesman, said his forces didn’t carry out any drills in the key Persian Gulf waterway.

“Security and peace in the Persian Gulf is among serious strategies for Iran and the Guards carries out its drills according to the table of its programs at the prearranged time in order to upgrade required preparedness in this field”, he added.

The White House has delayed plans to slap new sanctions on Iran over its test-firing of ballistic missiles, a USA news report said Thursday, amid fears it could jeopardize a hard-won nuclear deal with Tehran. His comments were posted on the Guard’s website.

Iranian officials on Thursday denied its Revolutionary Guards launched rockets near the US aircraft-carrier Harry S. Truman and other warships as they entered the Gulf on Saturday, calling the accusation “psychological warfare”.

“Firing weapons so close to passing coalition ships and commercial traffic within an internationally recognised maritime traffic lane is unsafe, unprofessional, and inconsistent with global maritime law”, said Commander Kevin Stephens, a US Navy spokesman.

The waterway is a crucial route for trade – almost a third of all oil traded by sea passes through it – and is also vital for ships taking part in the war against the Islamic State terror group.