U.S. says helicopters sank 6 Iranian boats in Hormuz

May 5, 2026

Summary

U.S. officials said American helicopters sank six Iranian boats after new attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

Why this matters

The developments point to a wider military confrontation around one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz can affect regional security, commercial shipping, and global energy flows.

U.S. Army AH-64 Apache and U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters destroyed six Iranian boats threatening commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz earlier Monday, according to Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command.

Cooper said Iran also launched cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at U.S. warships and commercial vessels after the United States began Project Freedom, an operation to protect shipping through the waterway. He said no U.S. military ship or U.S.-flagged ship was hit.

“We had drone launches against commercial ships, all of which were defended against, consistent with our commitment, and then the small boats were all going against commercial ships, and all were sunk by Apaches and Seahawk helicopters,” Cooper said.

He said the U.S. response included ballistic missile defense-capable destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members. Cooper said U.S. destroyers transited the strait Monday and that the operation was intended first to move ships out of the Arabian Gulf and later in both directions.

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense said its air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones launched from Iran, and that three people suffered moderate injuries. Qatar condemned the attacks on civilian sites and facilities in the UAE.

President Donald Trump told ABC News that Iranian drone and missile attacks on the UAE were “shot down for the most part” and said one got through, causing limited damage. He said the United States would “look into” reports of an attack on a South Korean ship and said Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it attacked U.S. vessels involved in Project Freedom.

Trump also told Fox News that the U.S. military buildup in the region was continuing. He said Iran had little remaining naval, air, or air defense capability.

An Iranian official told Iranian media that Tehran had no prior plan to attack facilities at Fujairah and said the incident resulted from what he described as a U.S. effort to open a passage through the strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that “there’s no military solution to a political crisis.”

The UAE partially closed its airspace through May 11, restricting commercial traffic to narrow corridors.

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