Iran reportedly fired on a U.S. naval vessel amid Project Freedom to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz and enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
“Right now CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is on a call with journalists. He says 15,000 U.S. service members are involved in the Project Freedom effort to help commercial vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Daily Wire reporter Kassy Akiva said.
“He says the IRGC has launched drones and missiles to try to disrupt the mission over the last several hours,” she added.
Right now CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is on a call with journalists.
He says 15,000 U.S. service members are involved in the Project Freedom effort to help commercial vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
He says the IRGC has launched drones and missiles to try…
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) May 4, 2026
More from the New York Post:
A senior Iranian official then told Reuters that Tehran had fired a warning shot and that it was unclear whether the warship had been damaged.
ADVERTISEMENTIran has frequently claimed to have struck American warships since the beginning of the conflict Feb. 28, even alleging the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was hit in March, only for CENTCOM to state on that occasion that “the missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
President Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social that the US would “guide” ships out of the strait under an initiative called Project Freedom, warning that Iranian efforts to block them “will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
The Iranians responded by warning that any ships attempting to pass through the waterway must coordinate with them first, and that any effort to force open the strait would be resisted.
“We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive US military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” Maj. Gen. Pilot Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB.
CENTCOM denied a claim that a U.S. warship was struck with two missiles.
“CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a U.S. warship with two missiles,” CENTCOM wrote.
“TRUTH: No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports,” it added.
🚫 CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a U.S. warship with two missiles.
✅ TRUTH: No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports. pic.twitter.com/VFxovxLU6G
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 4, 2026
CBS News noted:
U.S. Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of Central Command, confirmed Monday that Iran had launched an attack earlier in the day using cruise missiles, drones, and small boats targeting U.S. commercial and military vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The U.S. destroyed six Iranian small boats that attempted to interfere,” Cooper was quoted by Reuters news agency as telling reporters on a conference call. He said Iranian vessels were “strongly advised to remain clear of U.S. military assets” in the region.
ADVERTISEMENTIran’s state-run IRNA news agency rejected the assertion by Cooper, saying none of its so-called “fast boats” were destroyed Monday.
