The US military on Saturday denied Iran's claims that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying the critical waterway remained open and that US forces were monitoring the situation to ensure that it continued.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority has announced that ships that submit "compliant transit requests" would be allowed to transit the Strait.

According to the statement, the Iranian armed forces "have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz"