WNAM MONITORING:Two US Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf after fending off an Iranian barrage involving missiles, drones and small boats, according to a report Monday.
The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, were targeted by a series of coordinated Iranian attacks during the passage, CBS News reported, citing US defense officials.
Neither vessel was struck despite the intensity of the attacks, the report added.
Two US-flagged commercial ships also transited the strait successfully, the US military’s Central Command said, which is part of the initiative named “Project Freedom,” which President Donald Trump announced Sunday.
Iran has warned US forces that they would be attacked if they entered the strait amid a fragile ceasefire between the two countries.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said early Tuesday that there is “no military solution to a political crisis,” warning the US against escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, citing “progress” in peace talks.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by Trump without a set deadline.
Since April 13, the United States has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
