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 WASHINGTON, Dec 29, 2011 (AFP) - Two American warships have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident despite Iranian threats to close the strategic oil route, the US Navy said Thursday.

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay "conducted a pre-planned, routine transit through the Strait of Hormuz" on Tuesday, said Fifth Fleet spokeswoman Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich.

The US military reported no friction with Iran's naval forces after Iranian leaders warned of possibly shutting down the vital strait if the West went ahead with more punitive sanctions over its suspect nuclear program.

"Our interaction with the regular Iranian Navy continues to be within the standards of maritime practice, well-known, routine and professional," Rebarich said in an email from Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.