Tension flares again in Hormuz
The Gulf's most sensitive shipping corridor, the Strait of Hormuz, is back at the centre of a fresh confrontation. The United States says Iran tried to hit Indian merchant ships passing through the waterway overnight. US President Donald Trump claimed the strike was thwarted by American forces, and now a senior official from the US defence ministry has spelled out exactly how the night unfolded. The most striking detail: it was not one drone, but two.
Two suicide drones aimed at Indian ships
According to the Pentagon official, Iran launched two lethal one-way suicide drones straight at the Indian vessels. The episode took place as the merchant ships, carrying an Indian crew and Indian cargo, were crossing the Strait of Hormuz on their way toward the Gulf of Oman. The official said American forces went on alert the moment the drones were spotted and destroyed them in the air at the last possible moment.
What exactly are 'one-way attack drones'
The official explained that US radar and satellites suddenly tracked two flying, suspicious objects racing from the Iranian coast toward the Indian ships at very high speed. These were no ordinary surveillance drones. In military terms they are called one-way attack drones (OWA Drones) — essentially flying suicide bombs whose only job is to slam into their target and blow themselves up.
A decision made in seconds
The timeline given by the US official shows that the instant the two suicide drones locked onto the Indian ships, American warships patrolling the area swung into action mode and the US Navy's air defence system fired back immediately. According to the official, had that response been delayed by even a few seconds, the drones would have struck the deck of the Indian ships and detonated, triggering a massive disaster in the open sea with heavy loss of life and property.
Backing up Trump's warning
The official's account also lends weight to a sharply worded social media post by President Donald Trump, in which he warned Iran bluntly. He wrote that the drone attack carried out by Iran last night against Indian ships exiting the Strait of Hormuz — which was completely foiled — would not be tolerated, adding that Iran would do well to clean up its act, and fast. So far there has been no reaction of any kind from Iran on the incident or on the statement.
