Two US destroyers transit Strait of Hormuz after dodging Iranian attacks: Report
Washington, May 5
Two US Navy destroyers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, US media outlet CBS News reported.
The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, said the report, citing Pentagon officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, on Monday night (local time).
No US warship was struck, though Iran launched small boats, missiles and drones against them as a sustained barrage, the officials were quoted as saying.
None of the projectiles launched by Iran reached the US vessels, they said, adding that the US military's assisting efforts, bolstered by air support, successfully intercepted or deterred each incoming threat, reports Xinhua news agency.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday that the Iranians are "more malleable" than they were before.
In a phone interview with Fox News, the president threatened that if Iran targets US ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the Pentagon begins operations to restore commercial shipping transit through the strait, they would be "blown off the face of the Earth."
However, in another phone interview with ABC News on Monday, Trump stopped short of saying Iran's Monday attacks had violated the US-Iran ceasefire.
"[It was] not heavy firing," Trump said, downplaying the attacks.
Brad Cooper, chief of the US Central Command, told reporters earlier on Monday that Iranian forces had launched "multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at ships we are protecting."
US forces have sunk six Iranian small boats targeting civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones, said Cooper.
Iran later rejected the US claims, saying that "no commercial vessels or oil tankers" have transited the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US targets across the region and restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels linked to Israel and the United States.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8, followed by talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad that ended without a deal.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is what happens when you poke a hornet's nest. Iran is mad after their leaders were killed, and Trump's tough talk isn't helping. The ceasefire was fragile, and now it's broken. I feel for the sailors on both sides.
India gets 80% of our oil from this region. If this escalates, our fuel prices will skyrocket. The US and Iran are playing with fire, and we're left holding the bill. Modiji should mediate a peace deal before it's too late.
"More malleable"? Trump is delusional. Iran just launched missiles and drones at US ships. That's not malleable, that's resistance. The Pentagon says they sank six Iranian boats, but Iran denies any tankers are even moving. Who to believe?
The US killed Iran's Supreme Leader and now expects calm? That's not how it works. The ceasefire was a farce. India should urgently diversify our oil imports to reduce dependence on this volatile route. Energy security is national security.
Trump downplays it as "not heavy firing" but Apaches and destroyers are involved? This is brinkmanship. The region needs diplomacy, not more guns. Islamabad talks failed, time for a new approach before a real war starts. 🚢💥
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