The U.S. military denied claims by Iranian state media that the Islamic Republic struck an American warship.
Iran’s claims come amid President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new mission to guide commercial vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz out of the critical waterway with the help of U.S. forces.
“With the decisive and swift warning from the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the entry of enemy American Zionist destroyers into the Strait of Hormuz area was prevented,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated outlet, Tasnim news agency, posted in a statement on X on May 4, 2026, at 5:47 a.m. EST.
“CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a U.S. warship with two missiles,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote in response a mere hour later. “TRUTH: No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”
CENTCOM Confirms Successful Exit of Vessels
“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 confirmed roughly an hour afterwards.
President Trump Announces "Project Freedom"
Over the weekend, President Trump announced the launch of “Project Freedom.” A mission aimed at restoring “freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the maritime checkpoint.
“Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!" President Trump wrote on X. “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”
