U.S. says Iran tested rockets 1,500 yards from American carrier

Jane Onyanga-Omara | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Highly provocative' Iranian rockets fired near U.S. warships A U.S. military spokesman says Iranian Revolutionary Guards launched rockets near the U.S. aircraft-carrier Harry S. Truman and other warships as they were entering the Gulf on Saturday, giving only brief notice.

The United States on Wednesday accused Iran of carrying out rocket tests near American warships and commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz last week.

The accusation, which Iran denied Thursday, raises new tensions between the two nations following a landmark nuclear deal to limit Iran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.

Cmdr. Kyle Raines, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday that Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval vessels fired "several unguided rockets" about 1,500 yards from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, the USS Bulkeley destroyer and the FS Provence, a French frigate, on Saturday.

He said commercial sea traffic was nearby at the time, but the missiles weren’t fired in the direction of any ships.

NBC News first made the report, citing two U.S. military officials.

On Thursday, Gen. Ramezan Sharif, a Revolutionary Guard spokesman, said Iranian forces did not carry out any drills in the strait in comments on the Guard's website.

Much of the oil from states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait passes through the narrow strait, which runs between Iran and Oman, connecting the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world.

The route is also crucial for ships taking part in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Raines said the Iranian vessels announced over maritime radio that they would carry out a live fire exercise 23 minutes beforehand.

He said that Iran's "actions were highly provocative," and added: "Firing weapons so close to passing coalition ships and commercial traffic within an internationally recognized maritime traffic lane is unsafe, unprofessional and inconsistent with international maritime law."

Since the nuclear deal was agreed between United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Germany and Iran, the Islamic Republic has carried out missile tests criticized by the U.S., and aired footage on state television of an underground missile base.

Contributing: The Associated Press