On Thursday, May 7, 2026, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that U.S. forces had struck military targets in Iran after three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers were attacked with missiles, drones, and small boats.
Photo: CENTCOM
U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman, May 7.
Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.
CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.
CENTCOM
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that several explosions were heard near the naval port of Bandar Abbas, while the commercial sections of the pier on Qeshm Island were identified as the target of the U.S. counterattack. According to Iranian authorities, the United States targeted an Iranian tanker heading toward the Strait of Hormuz and another vessel entering the strait near the Emirati port of Fujairah. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded immediately by attacking U.S. warships and claimed to have caused significant damage – a claim directly contradicted by CENTCOM’s statement. A reporter for Iranian state television noted that life was continuing as normal in Bandar Abbas despite the explosions.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the attack on American warships in an interview with ABC News, saying the vessels were not damaged and that great damage had been inflicted on the Iranian attackers. He described the exchange as a “love tap,” while insisting that the ceasefire and the U.S. blockade of Iran remain in effect. In recent days, Trump has said that the war in Iran will end quickly and has been pushing a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Tehran, again pressing for it on the day of the incident.
A senior member of the Iranian parliament dismissed the memorandum as a wish list, while a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the latest U.S. proposal was under consideration and that Tehran would share its views with Pakistani mediators.
Iran had earlier accused the United States of violating the April 7 ceasefire agreement through attacks on merchant vessels, the container ship M/V Touska and the tanker M/T Hasna, presenting yesterday’s events as an exchange of fire between the Iranian armed forces and what Iranian state media described as hostile actions. The sequence of accusations and attacks is disputed by both sides.
As a reminder, the United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports on April 13 this year, and on May 4 Operation Epic Fury was concluded and replaced by Project Freedom. On the same day, Iran carried out a limited missile-and-drone attack on the United Arab Emirates. The following day, the operation was suspended.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 7, 2026