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US and Iran Trade Retaliatory Attacks on Ships in Gulf Tensions
Developing
In Short: The US and Iran have engaged in a series of retaliatory attacks on tankers in the Gulf, escalating tensions in the region.
The US and Iran have engaged in a series of retaliatory attacks on tankers in the Gulf, escalating tensions in the region. According to reports from Al Jazeera, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) struck three Iranian vessels, including a tanker off Kharg Island, the main export hub for Iran's crude oil, and another tanker near Jask. An unladen vessel was also hit in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was told to abandon ship.
In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have launched several ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and destroyer, which the US said successfully evaded the strikes. Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, warned that if Iran shot at two US ships, the US would impose an even higher economic cost, targeting three of Iran's vessels.
Iran's attacks on tankers and US-linked vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil supplies, have added to concerns about energy security. Iran claimed it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, and has long relied on a shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions and sell oil. The US has been blockading Iranian ports since April, making the situation more tense.
The US has vowed to target all of Iran's sources of revenue, including oil, to prevent other countries and companies from doing business with Tehran. The attacks are adding to concerns about global energy supplies, as the Strait of Hormuz is a vital route for 20 percent of the world's oil. The US and Iran have effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for each other's actions, further complicating the situation.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- The attacks on tankers come as the US claims that an increasing volume of oil has started to flow through the strait, though the exact figures are still debatable, while the naval blockade of Iranian ports continues.
- “The Iranians did not only target two ordinary warships – they targeted a missile destroyer and, remarkably, an aircraft carrier … the backbone of the American campaign against Iran,” defence analyst Wolfgang Pusztai told Al Jazeera.
- Hassan Ghashghavi, a lawmaker and spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, said the attacks on US warships were part of “an existential war with America”, arguing that Washington’s naval blockade “should never have existed” in the first place.
Sources
- Al Jazeeralink