“The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz,” he told reporters at the Pentagon. Other ships have been hit by projectiles, in the strait and in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. “We could reach a stage where we’re getting ships through and they could still get a lucky shot,” he added. U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters, which are equipped with Hellfire missiles, have long had the mission of striking Iranian mine-laying boats from gulf states in the region. In the spring of 2023, the Pentagon deployed the A-10 to help patrol the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 20, 2026 08:03 UTC