USA has destroyed more than one hundred Iranian ships since start of the war against the Islamic Republicwhich has generated tensions due to the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon stated this Monday.
“Through a combination of air, land and sea capabilities, we have successfully destroyed more than one hundred Iranian naval vessels and we are not done yet,” Brad Cooper, admiral of the United States Central Command (Centcom), stated in a video.
“We are fully focused on dismantling the threat that Iran has posed for decades to the free flow of commerce across the Strait of Hormuz”he added.
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Cooper insisted that the United States is undermining Iran’s ability to “threaten freedom of navigation” in and around the strait.
This announcement comes in a context of growing tensions over the situation in the maritime passage – through which 20% of the world’s oil circulates – following the announcement of the new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khameneithat the strait would remain closed in response to American and Israeli attacks.
For his part, the American president, donald trumpdemanded that his allies help him reopen the passage to the Persian Gulf, a proposal that has been met with skepticism.
Image released by the United States Army shows an Iranian vessel identified as a minelayer vessel in the Strait of Hormuz during military operations in the area. Photo: US Central Command/X
Last week, Trump claimed to have destroyed almost all of the Iranian mining ships in Hormuz “in a single night” and insisted that virtually his entire Navy has disappeared since the beginning of the offensive against Tehran.
The Centcom admiral detailed this Monday that, to date, US forces have carried out more than 6,000 combat flights.
“Iran’s capabilities are declining, while our own capabilities and advantages continue to strengthen,” he insisted.
