Iran denies it fired rockets near US warships in key strait

While the rockets weren’t fired in the direction of any ships, the spokesman for the US Central Command said Iran’s “actions were highly provocative”.

Under the current circumstances, such false news are spread merely as part of a “psychological war”, General Sharif said.

Diplomats have held out hope that the deal over Iran’s disputed nuclear program could ease decades of mistrust and reduce tensions in the Middle East.

However, the French military did not consider it to be a threatening event as the rocket fire wasn’t directed toward the Western fleet.

Adam Szubin, the acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, wrote in a statement circulated on Capitol Hill that the US “will vigorously press sanctions against activities” outside of the nuclear deal.

Navy officials immediately called the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy action “provocative and unsafe”, adding that the U.S. Navy did not have sufficient prior warning of an Iranian live-fire exercise in the area.

“Twenty-three minutes later, the exercise warning was repeated by the Iranian Navy and the rocket launch occurred only 1,500 yards from the USS Truman”, he said.

As if USA and Iranian relations weren’t complicated enough, a live-fire exercise Iran conducted near American troops this week could be making matters worse.

In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 photo released by the U.S. Navy, guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley participates in a replenishment-at-sea with fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall in the Gulf of Oman.

The first incident was in October of 2014, when a Navy Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, observed Iranian Navy vessels launching unguided rockets within eight nautical miles of the carrier strike group.

The Strait of Hormuz is only about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.

On Wednesday, the Obama administration began preparing new sanctions that would target almost a dozen companies and individuals in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong for their suspected role in helping develop Iran’s missile program and supporting human-rights abuses and worldwide terrorism, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing U.S. officials. Ships traversing the chokepoint have even less room to manoeuvre.

“Americans have entered the Persian Gulf with their entire military might, but Iran’s fast-patrol boats have authority over them”, an Iranian naval commander, Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, was quoted as saying by the Islamic Student News Agency Monday.

Iran and world powers led by the USA agreed to a landmark nuclear deal earlier this year to limit Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. Iran has always denied seeking nuclear arms. “So, security of the Persian Gulf region should be provided by the countries of this region itself”, the Leader said at the time.