Washington – Three US Navy destroyers transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked on Thursday, and the US carried out strikes on two Iranian ports along the strait, raising questions according to the fragility of the ceasefire month between the two countries.
The US destroyers USS Truxton, USS Mason and USS Rafael Peralta were attacked by Iranian missiles, drones and small boats, CBS News first reported. The U.S. military’s Central Command confirmed the attack in a statement and said the U.S. military responded with “defensive strikes” on Iranian facilities, including drone and missile sites. The American ships were not hit, CENTCOM said.
The US has targeted the Iranian ports of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm, multiple US officials told CBS News.
President Trump told ABC News that the ceasefire remains in place despite the targeted strikes by Iran, which he described as “just a love faucet.”
Fox News was the first to report on the strikes on Qeshm and Bandar Abbas.
US officials described the Iranian attack on the three destroyers as stronger and stronger than separate Iranian attacks the two warships have faced in the past few days.
The ships came under heavy Iranian attack as Iranian speedboats got so close that American warships opened fire to escape, American officials told CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Within hours, U.S. warships and support aircraft mounted their defenses, firing their five-inch naval guns and close-in weapon systems known as CIWS, officials said. Small-scale gun teams on deck also engaged the attack boats. American Apache helicopters fired Hellfire missiles, and .50-caliber machine guns were fired from the ship’s deck, as additional aircraft provided overhead support.
The Iranian military also launched drones and missiles during the conflict, officials said. As of publication, no injuries or damage to vessels have been reported.
Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social that “a lot of damage has been done to the Iranian invaders.”
“They fell very well into the Ocean, as well as a butterfly falls into its grave!” he wrote, referring to US efforts to shoot down Iranian drones.
Monday, CBS News first report that two similar ships – the USS Truxtun and the USS Mason – passed the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf after bypassing the Iranian barrage on Monday. During the negotiations, Iran also launched small boats, missiles and drones against them in what officials described as continued violence.
Despite the intensity of the attack, no American ships were hit earlier this week. CENTCOM said it destroyed six Iranian ships on Monday, which Iran denied.
The maritime incidents mark another high-profile exchange between the US and Iran since the two countries entered into a ceasefire agreement nearly a month ago, buying them time to negotiate a long-term peace deal. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters earlier this week that the ceasefire was still in place, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the first US campaign against Iran – Operation Epic Fury – was over.
Despite the ceasefire, the US and Iran have continued to fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that often carries a fifth of the world’s oil.
Commercial shipping traffic levels slowed after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, sending world oil prices soaring and shutting down hundreds of tankers in the Persian Gulf. Many ships continued to evade the test during the ceasefire, as Iran warned ships not to pass without permission.
Mr. Trump has pushed Iran to reopen the strait, and imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in an attempt to derail the country’s economy and pressure it into a deal.
On Monday, Mr. Trump launched a plan to steer commercial ships into the port, allowing two American ships to sail through the waters. But after a day, Mr. Trump stop that stepcalled Project Freedom. He said the project is on hold to see if talks between the US and Iran can lead to a peace agreement.
The president has not set a date for talks with Iran, and no in-person talks have been announced.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump warned that “we will take them out very hard, and even more violently, in the future, if they do not sign their Agreement, FAST!”
