WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran as the U.S. launched an operation to free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, declined to comment on whether he thought a ceasefire begun on April 8 remained in effect. But he acknowledged ongoing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) efforts to "interfere" with President Donald Trump's operation to open the critical waterway to commercial traffic.
"The IRGC has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at ships we are protecting. We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions," he said.
Cooper said he "strongly advised" Iranian forces to remain well clear of U.S. military assets as it launches the operation, which he said involved 15,000 U.S. troops, U.S. Navy destroyers, over 100 land- and sea-based aircraft and undersea assets. "The U.S. commanders who are on the scene have all the authorities necessary to defend their units and to defend commercial shipping," he said.
Asked if the U.S. military was escorting ships, Cooper said there were no traditional escorts but rather a larger, multi-layered defensive arrangement that included ships, helicopters, aircraft, and electronic warfare to defend against Iranian threats.
"If you're escorting a ship, you're playing kind of one on one. I think we have a much better defensive arrangement in this process," he said. "We have a much broader defensive package than you would have ever if you were just escorting."
Cooper said a U.S. blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from going to Iran or departing Iranian territory, also remained in effect and was exceeding expectations.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees AliEditing by Nick Zieminski and Joe Bavier)
