US destroys six Iranian small boats, shoots down missiles, drones, admiral says

The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran as the U.S. launched an operation to free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, declined to comment on whether he thought a ceasefire begun on April 8 remained in effect. But he acknowledged ongoing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps efforts to “interfere” with President Donald Trump’s operation to open the critical waterway to commercial traffic.

“The IRGC has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at ships we are protecting. We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions,” he said.

Cooper said he “strongly advised” Iranian forces to remain well clear of U.S. military assets as it launches the operation, which he said involved 15,000 U.S. troops, U.S. Navy destroyers, over 100 land- and sea-based aircraft and undersea assets.

“The U.S. commanders who are on the scene have all the authorities necessary to defend their units and to defend commercial shipping,” he said.

Asked if the U.S. military was escorting ships, Cooper said there were no traditional escorts but rather a larger, multi-layered defensive arrangement that included ships, helicopters, aircraft and electronic warfare to defend against Iranian threats.

“If you’re escorting a ship, you’re playing kind of one on one. I think we have a much better defensive arrangement in this process,” he said. “We have a much broader defensive package than you would have ever if you were just escorting.”

Cooper said a U.S. blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from going to Iran or departing Iranian territory, also remained in effect and was exceeding expectations.

美国军方周一表示，在美方发起旨在疏通霍尔木兹海峡航运的行动中，美方摧毁了六艘伊朗小型船只，并拦截了德黑兰发射的伊朗巡航导弹和无人机。

美国中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀海军上将拒绝就4月8日开始的停火是否仍然有效发表评论。但他承认，伊斯兰革命卫队仍在继续“干扰”唐纳德·特朗普总统为开放这条关键水道以恢复商业航运而采取的行动。

他说：“伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队曾多次向我们正在保护的舰艇发射巡航导弹、无人机和小艇。我们通过精准运用防御性弹药，击退了所有这些威胁。”

库珀表示，他“强烈建议”伊朗军队在发动此次行动时与美国军事资产保持相当远的距离。他表示，此次行动涉及 15000 名美军士兵、美国海军驱逐舰、100 多架陆基和海基飞机以及水下资产。

他说：“现场的美国指挥官拥有保卫其部队和保护商船所需的一切权力。”

当被问及美国军方是否在为船只护航时，库珀表示，没有传统的护航，而是一个规模更大、多层次的防御体系，包括舰船、直升机、飞机和电子战，以防御伊朗的威胁。

“如果你只是护航，那就相当于一对一作战。我认为我们在这个过程中拥有更好的防御部署，”他说。“我们的防御体系比单纯护航要全面得多。”

库珀表示，美国对伊朗的封锁仍然有效，阻止船只前往伊朗或离开伊朗领土，而且封锁效果超出了预期。