The denial on Monday came as the US remains active in the area near the Persian Gulf, offering to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz and dislodge Iran's blockade on vessels that don't receive its authorisation.

Iranian news agencies — including the semiofficial agency Fars and the Iranian Labour News Agency — claimed that Iran had struck a US Navy vessel southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing it of “violating maritime security and navigation norms.”