STORY: :: Archive
The U.S. military said on Monday that it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted cruise missiles and drones.
That's as Tehran tried to stop a new American effort to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
:: Archive
The operation, known as Project Freedom, was launched the same day by President Donald Trump to take back control of the critical waterway.
Iranian state media has denied reports that the U.S. had sunk Iranian vessels.
U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, declined to comment on whether he thought a ceasefire begun on April 8 remained in effect as Iran lashed out in the region.
But he did acknowledge that Iranian forces tried to interfere with the operation.
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On Monday, a South Korean ship was hit by an explosion in the strait with no casualties reported.
In a social media post, Trump said the ship was not part of the operation and suggested South Korea join U.S. efforts to protect ship movements near Iran.
The operation is Trump's latest move to end Iran's blockade of the strait, which had carried one-fifth of the world's oil before the war.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said no commercial ships had crossed the strait for hours, rejecting U.S. claims otherwise.
