The Iranian military has rejected the US claims that vessels are transiting the Strait of Hormuz normally, insisting that no ship can pass through without its permission.

“The Strait of Hormuz, as in the past, remains under the full management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said a spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, according to state media.

“No commercial vessel or oil tanker can or will have safe passage through the Strait without the permission and supervision of Iran’s powerful Armed Forces.”