U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Adm. Brad Cooper announced Monday, May 4, 2026, that American forces had opened a passage through the Strait of Hormuz free of Iranian mines and sank seven small Iranian boats that had targeted civilian ships under U.S. military protection. The announcement marked the first major U.S. military action against Iranian targets since the April 8 ceasefire and the formal launch of “Project Freedom” — the Trump administration’s initiative to restore commercial shipping through the strait.
“Iran launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at civilian ships under the U.S. military’s protection,” Cooper told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “U.S. military helicopters sank six of the small boats. Each and every threat had been defeated. The U.S. commanders who are on the scene have all the authority necessary to defend their unit and to defend commercial shipping.” A subsequent CENTCOM update raised the count to seven boats destroyed.
CENTCOM said two American-flagged merchant vessels successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday under the new initiative — the first commercial transits the U.S. has confirmed since shipping was effectively suspended in February. “American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping,” CENTCOM wrote on X. “As a first step, two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey.”
Iran disputed the U.S. account through state media. Iran’s Fars News Agency, aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that a U.S. Navy frigate had been struck by two missiles after “ignoring a warning from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy” and was “forced to retreat and flee the area.” CENTCOM responded with an emphatic denial: “No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”
Iran also disputed that any commercial transit had occurred. State-run news outlets claimed the U.S. military lied about helping two commercial vessels safely transit the strait, asserting that “no commercial vessels or oil tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent hours.” The competing narratives reflect the high-stakes information warfare around what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Fox News called “absolute control” of the strait by the U.S. Bessent dismissed Iran’s navy as “a band of pirates.”
Iran responded with explicit warnings. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB: “We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.” Iran has reportedly told vessels they need to coordinate with Iranian armed forces to transit, and signaled it would allow only Chinese-flagged ships through. The Chinese position is significant: President Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing next week, and unresolved hostilities could complicate his talks with Xi Jinping.
President Trump described Project Freedom in humanitarian terms. He said Sunday that the U.S. would “assist stranded vessels in the Persian Gulf” under an operation aimed at ensuring safe passage, citing humanitarian concerns for crews facing food and water shortages on hundreds of ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began. Shipping executives have responded cautiously: Simon Kaye of NorthStandard reinsurance told reporters there was “no specificity about which countries have asked for this humanitarian mission, nor how this may be coordinated with Iran, if at all.” For continuing coverage, see our geopolitics dashboard.