Summary "Publishing such lies in the current situation is more a psychological operation," Sharif said
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran accused the United States of lying Thursday about alleged test-firing of rockets near an American warship and anger rose in Tehran at the spectre of new sanctions from Washington.
Iran s Revolutionary Guards denied that its naval forces had been involved in a December 26 incident in which the US said rockets came within 1,500 feet of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The naval unit is responsible for securing Iranian interests in the Strait, a vital waterway for a large proportion of the world s oil, regularly patrolling the area and conducting exercises.
"The 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," said spokesman General Ramezan Sharif.
A US military official previously said an Iranian vessel had test-fired several rockets near three Western warships including the aircraft carrier. A French frigate and the USS Bulkeley destroyer were also in the area.
Though the rockets were not fired toward any warship, their proximity to the vessels -- and several commercial ships -- was "highly provocative", said the official, who was not authorised to be named.
Sharif, quoted on the Guards website, accused the US of fabricating the incident -- which reportedly occurred after Iranian naval forces announced via radio that the test-firing was to begin.
"Publishing such lies in the current situation is more a psychological operation," Sharif said.
"The security and peace of the Gulf is of serious strategic importance to Iran. The Guards conduct exercises to increase our required preparedness at due times, based on our own schedule."
