Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT An exchange of fire threatened to shatter a fragile cease-fire as President Trump seeks to break Iran’s effective blockade of the waterway. Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in April. Credit... Reuters May 4, 2026, 3:04 p.m. ET Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the military’s Central Command, said on Monday that U.S. warships shot down cruise missiles and drones that Iran fired at the ships and commercial vessels the Navy was guiding through the Strait of Hormuz. Army Apache helicopter gunships also sank six Iranian military speedboats that threatened the vessels, he said, adding that none of the Navy ships or commercial tankers were damaged. The exchange of fire threatened to shatter a fragile three-week cease-fire as President Trump seeks to break Iran’s effective blockade of the strait by ordering American military forces to help stranded vessels exit the waterway.…