U.S. warplanes and attack helicopters are ramping up assaults against Iranian drones and naval vessels in an escalating military effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed to most Western shipping, American officials say. Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that low-flying Air Force A-10 Warthog planes were “hunting and killing fast-attack watercraft” operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the contested sea lanes. The A-10 was developed to provide close air support for U.S. ground troops but has been repurposed to strike ships at sea, he said.

Full report : U.S. Military Ramps Up Assaults on Iranian Drones and Vessels to Clear Strait of Hormuz.