The Iranian military says in a statement that missiles fired at US vessels were “warning shots”, according to the country’s Fars news agency.

According to the statement, US destroyers attempted to approach the Strait of Hormuz in the Sea of Oman by turning off their radar. As soon as they turned their radar back on, they were detected and warned over radio by the Iranian navy to turn away.

“After the American destroyers ignored the warning, the [Iranian] army’s brave servicemen issued another alert, explicitly stating that any attempt to enter the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a violation of the ceasefire and would be met with a response from naval forces,” the statement reads.

“At this stage, and following the disregard by American–Zionist destroyers for the initial warning, the navy fired warning shots using cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones near the hostile enemy vessels to issue a warning; responsibility and the dangerous consequences of such actions will lie with the hostile adversary,” it adds.