US Strikes Oil Tankers Off Coast of Iran
The U.S. attacked four oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and one in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday, the United States military launched attacks on five Iranian oil tankers off the coast of Iran, according to DW. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the strikes were in response to Iran's targeting of a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice within the past two days. Despite the attempted attacks, the U.S. warship continued its patrol in the region without any harm to its crew.
CENTCOM directed the crew to abandon ship shortly before the strikes, with no immediate reports of casualties. The targeted vessels included four Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman - M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco - along with the M/T Derya near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported explosions near the southern port of Jask and on Kharg Island, both crucial ports for Iran's oil exports. CENTCOM linked the five vessels to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which uses the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran claimed it had no means to defend these vessels.
Iran responded to the U.S. strikes by launching missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan, with Jordan's army successfully shooting down 18 of them. The IRGC also claimed to have attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers. Earlier, the IRGC had warned that it would target oil tankers off the coasts of Bahrain and Kuwait, specifically urging them to leave their vessels due to imminent targeting.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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