Iranian fast-attack boats were reportedly sunk by US strikes in the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions over Project Freedom, Trump’s initiative to reopen maritime traffic through the waterway
The US military announced on Monday that it had obliterated six Iranian vessels targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command Commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, informed reporters that Iran had attempted to launch missiles at Navy vessels. This latest clash between the U.S. and Iran adds further tension to an already fragile ceasefire that the U.S. has refrained from confirming is still in effect. It follows Donald Trump’s vow that Iran will be “blown off the face of the Earth” if its leaders fail to comply with Washington’s objectives.
Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters in a press call that while Iran historically has deployed “between 20 and 40 small boats” to threaten commercial shipping in the strait: “Today, we saw just six and eliminated them quickly.”
“We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the strait, including AH-64 Apache and MH 60 Seahawk helicopters,” said Cooper, emphasising that Iran’s military capability has been “dramatically degraded.”
Monday’s strikes followed Trump’s Sunday evening announcement of “Project Freedom,” a US initiative to clear the backlog of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been congested since the start of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.
Iran has issued a stern warning against any attempts to forcibly open the strait, insisting that any ships wishing to pass through must first coordinate with Tehran. This prompted a fiery response from Trump, who told Fox News that Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it dared to attack US-flagged vessels.
“We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” Trump informed Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. “We have the best equipment. We have stuff all over the world. We have these bases all over the world. They’re all stocked up with equipment. We can use all of that stuff, and we will, if we need it.”
The president asserted that Iran has become “much more malleable” regarding peace talks, which have been at a standstill since mid-April. Cooper did not comment on whether America’s strikes on Iran’s fast-attack boats and Tehran’s claims of firing at US warships signify a breakdown of the fragile cease-fire secured last month.