U.S. Warships Repel Iranian Attack in Strait of Hormuz as Trump Warns Tehran of Harsher Response

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The United States launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian military facilities Thursday night after three U.S. Navy destroyers came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.

CENTCOM confirmed that the guided-missile destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason were targeted by Iranian missiles, drones, and small attack boats while moving through the strategic waterway into the Gulf of Oman.

“U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes,” CENTCOM stated, adding that no American assets were damaged during the confrontation.

According to the military command, American forces destroyed incoming threats and carried out strikes against Iranian missile and drone launch sites, command centers, radar systems, and intelligence facilities believed to be responsible for coordinating the attacks.

U.S. officials said the strikes targeted military positions on Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Garuk, and additional coastal locations along the Strait of Hormuz. The targets reportedly included drone launch sites, coastal defense cruise missile batteries, and radar installations.

President Donald Trump responded forcefully on Truth Social, declaring that the Iranian attackers suffered “great damage” while praising the crews of the American destroyers.

“Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire,” Trump wrote. “There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers.”

Trump said Iranian small boats were “completely destroyed” and described incoming drones being “incinerated while in the air.”

The president sharply criticized Iran’s leadership, warning that Tehran would face far more severe military action if it failed to quickly reach a nuclear agreement with Washington.

“A normal Country would have allowed these Destroyers to pass, but Iran is not a normal Country,” Trump wrote. “They are led by lunatics, and if they had the chance to use a Nuclear Weapon, they would do it, without question.”

Speaking later at the White House, Trump reiterated that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon” and described the latest military exchange as “a love tap,” while insisting the current cease-fire arrangement with Tehran technically remains in place.

The confrontation comes only days after Trump halted “Project Freedom,” a U.S. military initiative designed to reopen shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz and escort commercial vessels through the increasingly dangerous corridor.

Iranian state media claimed the attacks were retaliation for an earlier U.S. action against an Iranian oil tanker near the port city of Jask. Iranian officials accused Washington of violating the temporary cease-fire reached on April 7.

Despite ongoing diplomatic discussions surrounding a proposed 30-day halt in hostilities, Thursday’s exchange marked one of the most dangerous direct military confrontations between the United States and Iran in recent weeks.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, with a significant portion of global oil shipments passing through the narrow waterway each day. Escalating conflict in the region continues to raise fears of broader instability across the Middle East and disruptions to international energy markets.

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