Iran accuses US of lying about rocket tests

Iran has accused the United States of lying by claiming that Iran test-fired rockets near US warships and other vessels in the Strait of Hormuz last week.

"The [Revolutionary] Guards' naval force had no exercise in the past week when the Americans claim that a missile or rocket was fired in the Hormuz Strait area," General Ramezan Sharid said in a statement on the Guards’ website.

"Publishing such lies in the current situation is more a psychological operation."

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that provides passage for nearly a third of all oil traded by sea. The strait is also crucial for ships taking part in the war against the ISIS militant group .

On Wednesday, US military spokesman Kyle Raines claimed that rockets had been fired about 1,370m (1,500 yards) away from two US vessels and a French frigate, in a "highly provocative" act.

"Firing weapons so close to passing coalition ships and commercial traffic within an internationally recognised maritime traffic lane is unsafe, unprofessional and inconsistent with international maritime law," he said.

The US commander added that Iranian ships had announced over maritime radio their intention to carry out the test 23 minutes before the rockets were fired.

The incident comes at a sensitive period in US-Iranian relations. A landmark deal in July over Iran’s nuclear programme saw tensions between the two nations saw, but the US remains concerned about Iran’s nuclear programme.