US Says It Sank Six Iranian Boats and Intercepted Missiles in Bid to Reopen Hormuz

The U.S. military said on May 4 it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones during a new naval effort to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian authorities disputed key elements of the American account.

The Details

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Iranian forces launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at ships under U.S. protection. In a statement reported by Reuters, Cooper said: "The IRGC has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at ships we are protecting. We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions." Reuters reported that the operation, called Project Freedom by President Donald Trump, was presented as an effort to get stranded ships moving through the strait. NPR separately corroborated that two American-flagged merchant ships transited the strait during the operation and that U.S. helicopters sank six small boats targeting civilian ships. Several merchant ships also reported explosions or fires in the Gulf, according to Reuters.

Context

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints and had been effectively closed since the conflict escalated in late February, according to Reuters and NPR. The U.S. presented its operation as both a commercial-shipping protection mission and a broader challenge to Iran's de facto control of the waterway. On the same day, the UAE reported missile and drone attacks blamed on Iran. The UAE Foreign Ministry said: "These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable violation." Iranian authorities and state media disputed key parts of the U.S. account, denying that commercial vessels had crossed recently and denying reports that U.S. forces had sunk Iranian vessels. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized the operation on social media, calling it Project Deadlock. Reuters said it could not independently verify the full situation in the strait.

What's Next

Independent verification of the exact number of Iranian boats destroyed remains unavailable, with the U.S. and Iran offering conflicting accounts of the operation's outcome.