Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission! We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, “fast” Boats. It’s all they have left. Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, will have a News Conference tomorrow morning. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Iran opened fire on U.S. warships in the Middle East on Monday and the U.S. military retaliated, destroying six Iranian small boats, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom) leader Adm. Brad Cooper.  The U.S. military intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as the Trump administration launched an effort to help ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively choked off during the conflict, Cooper said in a call with reporters Monday.  Cooper told reporters he “strongly advised” Iran to steer clear of U.S. military assets as the Pentagon proceeds with “Project Freedom.” He added that the U.S. naval blockade, which has been barring vessels departing from Iranian ports from leaving the region, will remain in effect.  Multiple U.S. Navy destroyers are positioned in the Persian Gulf, Cooper said, adding that the U.S. has cleared an “effective pathway” through Iran’s mines for commercial ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.  The vessels in the Persian Gulf represent 87 different countries, Cooper said. He added that the U.S. military has reached out to dozens of ships and shipping companies in the last 12 hours to “encourage traffic flow” through the Strait of Hormuz as part of President Trump’s Project Freedom.  Cooper’s comments come as two cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, with U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers protecting vessels in the Persian Gulf.  Tensions have been simmering between the U.S. and Iran, threatening the ceasefire that has been in effect since last month.  Iran also fired on U.S. allies along the Persian Gulf on Monday. The United Arab Emirates reported missile and drone launches over its airspace, with its defense ministry saying it intercepted three cruise missiles while a fourth one landed in the sea. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

An investigation was conducted into the nature of this news from local sources, and it was determined that American aggressor forces today attacked two small boats carrying people that were traveling from Khasab on the coast of Oman towards the coast of Iran, opened fire, and destroyed their boats, killing five of their civilian passengers.

Iranian commander says US military attacked two passenger boats, not IRGC vessels, in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.Published On 5 May 2026|Updated: 5 May 2026 11:19 AM (GMT)Iran has accused the United States of killing five civilians in the Strait of Hormuz, saying its forces attacked passenger vessels in the waterway rather than boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as claimed.The claim on Tuesday contradicted a statement by US Admiral Brad Cooper, who said Central Command (CENTCOM) forces had sunk six IRGC vessels that had attempted to interfere with a US mission to escort stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US releases Touska container ship crew: Why it matterslist 2 of 4‘Dangerous escalation’: World condemns Iran after attacks on UAElist 3 of 4Oil prices surge as violence flares in Strait of Hormuzlist 4 of 4Hormuz tensions push ceasefire to the brink as Trump threatens Iranend of listUS President Donald Trump later put the number at seven boats.The US operation, dubbed “Project Freedom”, has shaken a fragile ceasefire reached between Iran and the US on April 8, and renewed fears of a return to war.Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB quoted an unnamed Iranian military commander as saying that Tehran launched an investigation following the US claim of attacks on IRGC vessels.It said that while none of the IRGC vessels was hit, the investigation found that US forces had “attacked two small boats carrying people on their way from Khasab on the coast of Oman to the coast of Iran on Monday”.The attacks destroyed the boats and killed five civilian passengers, the commander said. The US “must be held accountable for their crime”, he added.There was no immediate comment from the US military.The violence comes as Trump seeks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded following the US and Israeli attacks on the country on February 28.The closure of the vital maritime corridor – through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies transit – has sent oil and fertiliser prices surging around the world and prompted fears of a global recession and food emergency.Iran is now insisting on maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and collecting transit fees as reparations for the destruction caused by the US and Israel.Get instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen.Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a post on X that US violations of the ceasefire were endangering transit through the waterway.“The new equation of the Strait of Hormuz is in the process of being solidified. The security of shipping and energy transit has been jeopardized by the United States and its allies through the violation of the ceasefire and the imposition of a blockade; of course, their evil will diminish,” he said.“We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet.”Attacks on UAE, ships in HormuzThe Iranian military on Monday warned commercial vessels they would “jeopardise their safety” if they attempted to cross the waterway without permission. The military also warned US forces would face attacks if they approached or entered the chokepoint.Amid the tensions, the United Arab Emirates said Iran launched a drone attack on one of its oil tankers that attempted to transit the strait and said Iranian forces launched 15 ballistic missiles and four drones at its territory.UAE authorities said the attacks set off a large fire at a major oil refinery in the eastern emirate of Fujairah and wounded three Indian nationals.Iran’s semi-official IRIB news agency quoted a military official as saying the incident was “the result of US military adventurism”.“The Islamic Republic had no pre‑planned program to attack the mentioned oil facilities, and what happened was the result of US military adventurism aimed at creating a passage for the illegal transit of ships through the restricted waterways of the Strait of Hormuz,” the official said.A South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, the HMM Namu, also reported an attack, saying an explosion had caused a fire in its engine room.Nonetheless, the US military said two US-flagged ships made it through the strait on Monday with the support of navy guided-missile destroyers.The IRGC denied the claim as “baseless and completely false”, but the global shipping firm Maersk said the US-flagged Alliance Fairfax exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by the US military on Monday.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the events in Hormuz on Monday “make clear there’s no military solution to a political crisis”.He said in a post on X that peace talks with the US were “making progress” with Pakistan’s mediation and that Washington “should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers”.“So should the UAE,” he added. “Project Freedom is Project Deadlock.”Meanwhile, Trump has renewed his threats against Iran.He told Fox News Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it attacked US vessels carrying out Project Freedom.“We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” he said.“We have the best equipment. We have stuff all over the world. We have these bases worldwide. They’re all stocked up with equipment. We can use all of that stuff, and we will, if we need it.”