US strikes Iranian tankers after fresh missile attacks on Navy warship
US strikes Iranian tankers after fresh missile attacks on a Navy warship, escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States struck multiple Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to fresh attempted missile attacks on a US Navy warship, according to a US official speaking on condition of anonymity. The strikes mark the latest exchange in a cycle of retaliation between Washington and Tehran, now in its seventh month of conflict.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy has warned crews of oil tankers near Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to abandon their vessels immediately, saying the ships could be targeted in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian tankers. The warning, broadcast on Iranian state television, accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting US forces and assisting in the strikes.
The Revolutionary Guard said tanker crews should leave their ships whether anchored or docked, as they "will be targeted."
On Saturday, the US military said it had struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships came under ballistic missile attack, and warned it would "if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet." Iran subsequently announced plans to declare a new "exclusion zone" near the Strait of Hormuz for vessels intending to transit.
The latest strikes reflect a dual economic and military strategy by President Donald Trump as he seeks to end the prolonged conflict. On Tuesday, the administration also imposed sanctions on additional parts of Iran's aviation industry, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines and foreign cargo providers, in a bid to isolate Tehran from remaining trading partners.
Both sides are vying for control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil flowed before the war. Rising energy prices are creating political difficulties for Trump and his party ahead of November's midterm elections; international benchmark Brent crude briefly touched $99.46 a barrel on Tuesday.
A US blockade of Iranian ports has squeezed Iran's economy by curbing oil exports, while the US military has been escorting a limited number of ships along a route through the strait off Oman. Tehran wants vessels to follow a route of its choosing through the waterway, which was previously regarded as an international passage.