The United States military command that oversees the Middle East (CENTCOM) has said that two of its ships have travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, a claim swiftly denied by Iran.On Saturday, the command said that the two destroyers, the USS Frank E Peterson and USS Michael Murphy, had “transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps” (IRGC).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIn a statement, US Admiral Brad Cooper hailed the ships’ presence in the strait as a turning point in the US and Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28.“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage, and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” he said.The passage would represent a major shift. Control of the strait has been a major point of contention, given that a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passes through the waterway, as well as large amounts of fertiliser and other goods.Iran effectively closed the narrow strait, save for pre-approved ships, in the wake of the initial US-Israel attacks in February. That, in turn, snarled both commercial and military traffic and sent global fuel p …
