US launches new strikes in Gulf, hitting three Iranian oil tankers

The US military has launched fresh strikes on three Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf, following missile attacks on US Navy warships. In a statement released on Saturday, the military claimed it evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks while patrolling the region. No US personnel were injured in the incidents. According to the US, two of the tankers were permanently disabled and the third was destroyed.

The tankers were part of a shadow network that allegedly helps fund Iran's Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies. Iran accused the US of attacking an Iranian tanker near Kharg Island. The US responded, stating that one tanker was struck off Kharg Island, another near Jask, and the third unladen tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

The US Central Command's head, Admiral Brad Cooper, vowed that the US would not hesitate to defend its forces and destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet if necessary. These strikes follow a week of renewed attacks between the two nations, after a month of relative calm in the ongoing conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28.