Two American warships have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident despite Iranian threats to close the strategic oil route, the US Navy said yesterday.

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay “conducted a pre-planned, routine transit through the Strait of Hormuz” on Tuesday, said Fifth Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich.

The US military reported no friction with Iran’s naval forces after Iranian leaders warned of possibly shutting down the vital strait if the West went ahead with more punitive sanctions over its suspect nuclear programme.

“Our interaction with the regular Iranian Navy continues to be within the standards of maritime practice, well-known, routine and professional,” Ms Rebarich said in an e-mail from Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

The US warships paid a visit to the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates before travelling through the strait to the Arabian Sea, where the vessels will provide air power for Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, she said.

In response to Tehran’s threats, the US military said Wednesday that any attempt to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would not be tolerated.

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