Conflict widens as Houthis strike Saudi Arabia, US hits Iranian oil tankers

U.S. Central Command announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in a second wave of retaliation strikes. The strikes occurred following two instances where Iran targeted a U.S. Navy ship with ballistic missiles. The identity of the U.S. vessel was not disclosed, but it successfully evaded the attack and continued its mission to enforce a blockade on Iranian oil shipments.

The goal of this blockade was to compel an end to a six-month conflict that had eroded support for President Donald Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. U.S. forces instructed the crew members of the Iranian vessels to leave their ships before launching the strikes in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island, as stated by CENTCOM.

These tankers were linked to a multi-billion-dollar network that funded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional allies. The strikes followed three days after the U.S. had demolished three other Iranian tankers in response to attempted attacks on an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.