The U.S. attacked Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after Tehran targeted Navy ships, threatening to upend a fragile ceasefire and President Donald Trump’s new vow to open the critical pathway.
The U.S. military “blew up” six small Iranian boats after its forces launched “multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats” at the ships but did not hit them, according to U.S. Central Command head Adm. Bradley Cooper, who leads America’s operations in the region. He did not say what impact this would have on the ceasefire.
The exchange occurred a day after President Donald Trump announced that the Navy would begin helping commercial vessels transit the waterway, an effort he has dubbed “Project Freedom.”
While the administration had initially focused on destroying Iranian nuclear stockpiles and reducing its ballistic missile capabilities, the conflict between the U.S. and Iran appears to have entered a new phase. Both sides are focused on control of the vital strait, through which much of the world’s global oil supply flows.
Trump on Monday told a Fox News reporter that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if officials attacked U.S. Navy ships in the region.
But he did not mention the U.S. boat attack in a social media post on Monday and seemed to play down concerns about how Project Freedom would work with an Iranian blockade. Trump said Iran had shot at “unrelated Nations” in the Strait of Hormuz, including a South Korean cargo ship.
“Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” he wrote. “We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, “fast” Boats. It’s all they have left.”
Neither the Defense Department nor the White House immediately responded to whether any of these attacks compromised the ceasefire.
Commercial vessels could freely pass through the strait prior to the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran. But Tehran has effectively blocked most traffic since the war began in February, leading to spiking energy costs and exorbitant gas prices.
It’s not clear how the U.S. plans to ensure safety for commercial ships. The Navy may not use a traditional escort due to a lack of assets and concerns about mines hidden deep below. Instead, it could use a number of smaller, more nimble boats to track traffic through the strait and provide security. The U.S. also still has two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region and multiple other warships which can provide air defense cover.
But any mission in the strait promises to be a complex one. The military pulled in Army Apache helicopters and Navy Seahawk helicopters to destroy the Iranian boats. Several Navy destroyers also pushed through the strait and are now in the Arabian Sea, Cooper said.
In a separate incident, U.S. officials brushed aside Iranian state media claims on Monday morning that Tehran had struck a U.S. warship with two missiles for attempting to enter the strait. U.S. officials have denied the claim, instead saying two ships have successfully maneuvered through the strait.
“No U.S. Navy ships have been struck,” Central Command said about the alleged initial incident in a post on X. “U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”
Trump, on Sunday, said the U.S. is assisting countries that have asked for help — after previously telling allies they’d need to figure out their own solution to access the strait.
“Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump also said the new operation is a “humanitarian” effort that could show a sense of “goodwill.” Still, he warned, any interference with Project Freedom would be dealt with “forcefully.”
Iranian officials had previously warned that “any foreign military force, especially the invading American army” would face an attack if they attempted to move through the strait.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday told Fox News the U.S. maintains “absolute control” of the strait.
“We have blockaded the ships going into or out of Iranian ports,” Bessent said, though he added that the U.S. would return fire if fired upon. “If the Iranians want to escalate here,” he said, “we are willing to escalate.”
