The Panama Canal Authority put out its own terse statement saying it had “not made any adjustments” to the fees.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday said the United States was spreading "lies and falsehoods" after the State Department claimed U.S. government vessels would be able to pass the Panama Canal without paying a fee.

Panama denied a claim made by the State Department on Wednesday that the Central American nation had agreed to no longer charge fees for US government ships to transit the country’s famous canal.