Iran has threatened to attack US forces if they enter the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the US would help stranded ships out of the passage.
An estimated 20,000 seafarers on 2,000 ships have been stuck in the strait since the US-Iran war began in February, a UN agency says.
Trump said the US military would start guiding stranded ships from Monday morning local time as a “humanitarian gesture,” adding that many ships were running low on food.
But the Iranian military says it will attack any foreign armed force that tries to enter the strait. In an unconfirmed report, it claimed to have stopped an American destroyer from entering the strait.
Iranian state media reports that the public relations arm of the army said: “With a firm and swift warning from the Islamic Republic Navy, the entry of American and Zionist enemy destroyers into the Strait of Hormuz was prevented.”
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This comes hours after Trump said the US military would begin helping stranded ships out of the vital passage.
US Central Command (Centcom) has explained how it plans to support the operation.
