The American armed forces have shot down Iranian missiles and drones targeting US Navy buildings and commercial ships, and destroyed six small Iranian boats, announced the American admiral in charge of the Middle East on Monday.
These hostilities come on the first day of an American operation to assist ships blocked in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, with Donald Trump claiming it is a “humanitarian gesture” to help the crews.
On one hand, the American forces “effectively neutralized” all the “missiles and drones fired against our forces and commercial shipping,” stated Admiral Brad Cooper to the press, who heads the US military command for the Middle East (Centcom).
Tehran had previously claimed to have fired “cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones” towards American buildings.
The admiral stated that most of these Iranian attacks targeted commercial ships, while a minority targeted American military buildings.
On the other hand, Apache and Seahawk attack helicopters targeted and destroyed “six Iranian boats posing a threat to commercial shipping,” added Admiral Brad Cooper.
Donald Trump claimed that “seven small boats” were targeted by the American fire.
A senior Iranian military official, cited by state television, denied the destruction of Iranian ships.
“After these shots, the Israeli army declared itself to be in a state of ‘high alert.'”
According to Donald Trump, “there have been no damages so far in the Strait,” except for shots fired at a South Korean ship, about which he did not provide details.
The American military claims that two destroyers, imposing vessels capable of firing missiles, crossed the Strait of Hormuz as part of the “Freedom project” operation announced on Sunday, while two American-flagged commercial ships made the opposite journey and “continue their route safely.”
According to Admiral Cooper, the American armed forces are not directly escorting the ships through the Strait but have deployed “multiple layers including ships, helicopters, planes, airspace warnings, and electronic attacks.” This, according to him, constitutes “a much broader defensive system” than a “simple escort.”
He assured that “ultimately, there will be a passage in both directions,” but for now, “the most important thing (…) is that the ships can leave.”
He did not explicitly mention the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage through which a fifth of the world’s oil consumption usually passes, controlled by Tehran since the beginning of hostilities launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
AFP
/2026/05/04/69f82189331f7685394332.jpg "Donald Trump launches operation to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, Iran warns against any American interference")
