U.S. forces in the Middle East sank six Iranian small boats that were “threatening commercial shipping,” according to Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones, small boats at ships we are protecting,” Cooper said Monday. “We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions.”
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The cruise missiles, Cooper said, were targeting both U.S. Navy vessels and commercial shipping, but “mostly” going after the latter.
“We had drone launches against commercial ships, all of which were defended against, consistent with our commitment,” he said. “And then the small boats were all going against commercial ships, and all were sunk by Apaches.”
The attacks came shortly after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military would help “guide” commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, but he did not provide specific details.
U.S. forces are not directly escorting ships individually, however. They are using a variety of capabilities to present a clear threat assessment.
“There’s not [a] specific escort,” Cooper said. “If I just described this overall, if you’re escorting a ship, you’re planning kind of one-on-one, I think we have a much better defensive arrangement in this process where we have multiple layers that include ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne early warning, electronic warfare, and we have a much broader defensive package than you would have ever if you’re just escorting. I feel good about that, and it was proven just in the last couple of hours.”
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U.S. troops “have cleared an effective pathway for ships to leave at this point,” Cooper said.
Also on Monday, Iran reportedly fired missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates, which marks the first time in nearly a month that Iranian forces targeted nearby Gulf countries. The strikes on the UAE, as well as those against vessels in the strait, threaten to derail the fragile ceasefire agreement.
