On May 4, 2026, the U.S. military launched a new strike in the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with Iran kept disrupting the key shipping route. Senior officials said American helicopters destroyed several fast attack boats that threatened commercial ships in the area.

U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Navy and Army helicopters were sent out early Monday to deal with the threat. The mission used MH-60S Seahawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters, both built for precision strikes at sea and on land.

“We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the strait, including AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters used just this morning to eliminate six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping,” Cooper said during a media roundtable on Monday afternoon.

According to him, six Iranian small boats were sunk in the clash. These boats were reportedly acting in a way that directly threatened merchant ships passing through the narrow strait. Since the Strait of Hormuz carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil shipments, any trouble there is a big worry for global trade.

Broader defensive operations underway

The helicopter strike was just one part of a broader U.S. effort to keep the strait safe for shipping. The admiral noted American forces have also been stopping other threats, like missiles and drones.

“The [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at ships we are protecting,” he explained. “We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions.”

Cooper added that while most Iranian cruise missiles targeted commercial ships, some were aimed at U.S. Navy vessels in the area. American forces responded to both kinds of threats. “We defended both ourselves, and consistent with our commitment, we defended all the commercial ships,” he said.

Capabilities of the deployed US helicopters

The AH-64 Apache is the main attack helicopter for the U.S. Army. It has a 30 mm chain gun, Hellfire missiles, and rockets that can hit small, fast targets. This makes it very effective against threats like speedboats.

The MH-60S Seahawk, used by the U.S. Navy, is part of the H-60 helicopter family based on the Black Hawk. It takes on many missions, from fighting at sea to search and rescue. It can carry machine guns and missiles to help protect ships.

Cooper did not disclose which weapons were used in the strike or where the helicopters took off from. He also declined to comment on whether there were any survivors from the Iranian boats. He said only that the systems used “were very effective.”

Strategic caution and limited disclosures

U.S. officials have kept several operational details confidential to avoid revealing American tactics to Iran. The admiral also declined to say how many ships were targeted by Iranian forces in recent days.

“I think it’s best not to talk about the number,” Cooper said. “In an operational context, one of the lessons learned is: don’t tell the enemy what they’ve been able to achieve or not achieve. In our case, we are confident, and we know for certain that these were defeated attacks, but I don’t want the Iranians knowing what they were able to do, what that looked like, what it achieved.”

He confirmed that drones and small boats have tried to attack commercial ships, which adds to concerns about new types of threats in the region.