Amid Iranian missile and drone attacks, U.S. warships risked breaking through in the Persian Gulf

The United States and Iran are at war again.

According to news from CBS America, on the 7th, the U.S. Central Command stated that three U.S. destroyers were attacked by Iranian missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the U.S. military to carry out self-defense strikes against Iran. However, this strike does not signify a restart of war or the end of a ceasefire agreement.

Notably, this situation involving U.S. warships forcibly entering the Strait of Hormuz differs from previous incidents. According to details disclosed by American media, among the three destroyers attacked, the "Truxtun" and "Mason" were originally stationed inside the Persian Gulf providing air defense interception support for the UAE.

Due to escalating tensions, these two U.S. warships had remained in high-speed maneuvering within the Persian Gulf for an extended period, avoiding slowing down or docking for resupply—because docking at ports would make them highly vulnerable to Iranian missile targeting. The prolonged high-speed operations led to critical fuel shortages, forcing the two ships to take the risky decision of attempting to break out. A third destroyer was dispatched to the region to provide assistance.

American media reported that when the "Truxtun" and "Mason" attempted to escape the Persian Gulf, they were immediately subjected to intense Iranian missile and drone attacks. The intensity of this engagement far exceeded past confrontations. To counter the onslaught, the U.S. forces deployed everything available—including ship-mounted cannons, close-in weapon systems, and even sailors equipped with small arms—to intercept incoming threats.

From the American media's description, Iran’s missiles and drones still lack sufficient precision and penetration capability when targeting mobile, air-defense-equipped objectives. Nevertheless, this does not mean the U.S. forces could easily "get through." On the contrary, under repeated, concentrated attacks from Iran, the U.S. destroyers had to exert maximum effort just to barely survive.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864591771820043/

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