Tensions escalated sharply in the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Iran accused each other of violating a ceasefire, amid fresh exchanges of fire involving US warships and Iranian forces in the strategic waterway.
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American naval forces came under attack while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Gulf of Oman.
“US forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defence strikes as US Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said.
According to the statement, Iranian forces launched “multiple missiles, drones and small boats” targeting the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason. CENTCOM claimed that no US assets were hit during the confrontation.
The US military further said it had “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking US forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes”.
“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” the statement added.
US President Donald Trump issued a strongly worded statement on his Truth Social platform, claiming the American destroyers had passed successfully through the Strait despite Iranian attacks. “Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire,” Trump wrote.
“There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers. They were completely destroyed along with numerous small boats,” he claimed.
Trump said missiles and drones fired at the destroyers were intercepted and destroyed by US forces. “Missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down. Likewise, drones came, and were incinerated while in the air,” he said.
In a sharp attack on Tehran’s leadership, Trump described Iran as “not a normal Country” and accused its leaders of seeking nuclear weapons warning of stronger US military action if Iran did not quickly agree to a deal.
“Our three Destroyers, with their wonderful crews, will now rejoin our Naval Blockade, which is truly a ‘Wall of Steel’,” Trump added.
Iran, however, accused Washington of breaching the ceasefire and targeting civilian and commercial vessels near Iranian waters. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy alleged that the US military attacked an Iranian oil tanker near the port of Jask and another vessel near the UAE’s Fujairah port.
In a statement posted on social media, as claimed by the international media the IRGC claimed Iranian naval forces responded with “intense explosive warheads” against American ships in the Strait of Hormuz. “Iran’s armed forces immediately responded, inflicting significant damage on the American enemy,” an Iranian military spokesperson was quoted as saying by state media.
Iranian authorities also accused the US of carrying out air strikes in Bandar Khamir, Sirik and Qeshm Island in southern Iran with the support of “some regional countries”.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported explosions and sustained anti-aircraft fire in western Tehran following two loud blasts. Explosions were also reported near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, according to Iranian media reports.
US President Donald Trump downplayed the confrontation while insisting that the ceasefire remained operational. “The ceasefire is going. It’s in effect,” Trump told ABC News in a phone interview. Referring to the strikes, he described the incident as “just a love tap”.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, with nearly a fifth of global energy supplies passing through the narrow waterway. Shipping traffic in the region has fallen sharply amid rising hostilities between the US and Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said navigation in the strait would return to normal only if the conflict ended and sanctions and blockades imposed on Tehran were lifted.
