US opens new front in battle to reopen Strait of Hormuz as jets obliterate Iranian ships and take down drones

Source: Daily Mail

President Trump has called for US forces to open a new front in Iran as jets pound Iranian ships in an all-out battle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Global fuel supplies have been under intense pressure because of Iran´s stranglehold on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported.

American forces have sent low-flying A-10 Warthogs and Apache attack helicopters to shoot at Iranian ships and drones.

The Pentagon is trying to nullify danger from Iranian weapons and reopen the strait, which has only seen about 90 ships cross since the war began.

The belief is that US military warships could act as an escort for ships to get in and out of the region through the strait.

Air Force general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan 'Raizin' Caine said the mission is taking the attack ships to the southern Iranian coast.

'The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz,' he said Tuesday.

He added that the Apaches have 'joined the fight on the southern flank' and said that some allies have used them to 'handle one-way attack drones.'

However, The Wall Street Journal reported that it could take weeks for the US to clear out the strait to get it operating closer to normal again.