Iran denies missile launches in Strait of Hormuz

Although the missiles were fired in a direction away from the passing coalition ships, the live-fire exercise was dangerously close to the Truman. Kyle Raines, a US Central Command spokesman.

The military action, which occurred Saturday, was first reported by NBC News Tuesday.

Though the rockets were not fired toward any warship their proximity to the foreign vessels – and several commercial ships – was “highly provocative”, said the official, who was not authorised to be named.

Treasury and the White House declined to comment on the Journal report, which was attributed to anonymous US officials.

“Iran’s missile program has nothing to do with the recent agreement over Iran’s nuclear program, and nothing can prevent Iran from its legitimate and legal right to strengthen its defensive foundations and national security”, he said.

“We’ve been looking for some time at options for additional actions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program based on our continued concerns about its activities, including the October 10th launch.'”

Raines said Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels offered “only 23 minutes of advance notification”.

The strategic Persian Gulf waterway, which sees almost a third of all oil traded by sea pass through it, has been the scene of past confrontations between America and Iran, including a one-day naval battle in 1988.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday denied that its naval forces had test-fired rockets close to a USA aircraft carrier in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Iran had not announced any military exercises for Saturday, although its navy conducted a joint search-and-rescue exercise with Oman three days earlier.

Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, also echoed Raines view in a statement released on Wednesday.

Back in May, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined that security of the Persian Gulf region comes within the purview of the regional countries alone, and dismissed the U.S. claim of seeking security in the region.

Before, a U.S. aircraft carrier came within about 1,500 yards of an Iranian rocket while operating in the Strait of Hormuz, a Pentagon official told CNN on December 30. In April, 11 unguided rockets were fired about 6 miles from the USS Theodore Roosevelt.