U.S. military denies Iran's claim it struck U.S. warship in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command on Monday denied claims from Iranian state media that a U.S. warship transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two missiles and forced to retreat. "No U.S. Navy ships have been struck," CENTCOM, the U.S. military command covering the Middle East, said in a post from its official X account. "U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports," CENTCOM said. "Project Freedom" refers to a new attempt by the U.S. to "free" ships that have been stranded as a result of Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a main chokepoint in the war through which about 20% of the world's oil was shipped prior to the conflict's start. President Donald Trump, announcing the operation in a Truth Social post Sunday evening, said the efforts would begin Monday morning. CENTCOM said in another X post Monday morning that U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are "currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom." "American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping. As a first step, 2 U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey," CENTCOM wrote. That appears to further contradict Iran's Fars News Agency, which reported earlier Monday that a U.S. Navy ship was struck twice as it attempted to sail through the strait. The ship, described in a Googl