US forces strike Iranian oil tankers, official says

US forces carried out targeted strikes on several Iranian tankers on Tuesday, according to a senior official. The official disclosed that the attacks were a response to recent attempted missile assaults on a US Navy vessel. Subsequently, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that they had issued a warning to tanker crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to evacuate, as they would be targeted in the future.

This episode represents the most recent escalation in a conflict that had seemingly stabilized after a period of intense back-and-forth strikes between the US and Iran in late August. Although a ceasefire was initially reached in July, months after the war began in April, both nations had managed to maintain a semblance of restraint.

Diplomacy efforts aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had effectively closed at the outset of the war, had failed. However, in August, the US launched a series of strikes against Iranian targets, accusing Tehran of attempting to reestablish the strait with mines and targeting shipping. Iran responded by launching ballistic missile attacks on US military installations, including a base in Jordan.

Tehran has made clear its intent to target US energy assets in the Gulf should strikes on its soil persist. Following the new wave of strikes initiated last month, oil prices surged towards the $100 mark per barrel, with Brent crude surpassing $99.