---Earlier:-Iran's blunt rejection of Washington's safe passage claims threatens to unsettle the diplomatic progress markets had been pricing into oil this week. Iran disputed that account, saying it has repeatedly struck vessels using the southern route in recent months and framing the US claim as inaccurate. Tehran went further, reaffirming that it considers only its own designated passage through the strait to be a safe route for transit. The statement adds that Iran will not open the strait in the manner Washington has been pushing for, and that all vessels should follow Iran's designated route rather than the southern option. Wednesday's statement from Tehran introduces a more combative tone that sits awkwardly alongside that emerging framework, particularly given its explicit rejection of the southern route that CENTCOM had described as functioning safely.