In a powerful show of force aimed at breaking Iran’s attempted blockade, the United States has unleashed its most feared close-air support weapons — AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and A-10 Warthog “tank killers” — into the Strait of Hormuz. The intensified air campaign is part of “Operation Epic Fury,” designed to clear Iranian fast-attack boats, drone swarms, and missile platforms that have been threatening commercial shipping.

Dramatic footage released by the Pentagon shows Apaches flying low over the water, unleashing devastating 30mm cannon fire and Hellfire missiles on Iranian vessels, while A-10s make multiple attack runs, tearing through boat swarms with their legendary rotary cannons. U.S. officials claim the operations have destroyed dozens of Iranian naval ᴀssets in the past 24 hours, significantly reducing Tehran’s ability to enforce any meaningful blockade.

The IRGC has reacted with fury. A senior commander under Mojtaba Khamenei warned: “The Americans have brought their flying monsters to our waters. But this will not save them. We are adapting. The next phase will be far more painful. We still have not used our best and ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest missiles.”

The development has brought cautious optimism to energy markets. Global oil prices, which had surged past $35,000 per barrel amid fears of total closure, have eased slightly as traders bet that U.S. air dominance may soon reopen the critical chokepoint.

However, military analysts warn the situation remains extremely volatile. With thousands of U.S. Marines already positioned near the Iranian coastline and both sides refusing to back down, the battle for the Strait of Hormuz is far from over.

Is the U.S. finally turning the tide in the naval war, or is Iran preparing a devastating counter-strike that could plunge the global economy back into chaos?

The coming hours may decide whether the world’s most important energy artery reopens — or becomes the graveyard of a much wider conflict.