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U.S. Strikes Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Gulf of Oman
Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. military struck five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island after accusing Tehran of targeting a U.S. warship twice in two days.
CENTCOM responded by striking and destroying the Iranian oil carriers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, M/T Riesco, and M/T Derya near Kharg Island, according to Al Jazeera.
The IRGC later claimed that five tankers were targeted, with its naval forces stating that they had attacked '2 American vessels and 8 tankers in the region, causing great damage to them,' as reported by Al Jazeera.
The strikes mark an escalation in the six-month-old conflict, with U.S. military spokespersons noting that the attacks are part of a broader pattern of Iranian aggression against U.S. naval ships.
In response to the U.S. strikes, Iran launched missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan, most of which were shot down, according to Jordanian officials. Tehran also claimed to have attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.
The exchange of fire comes amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, with Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz and Washington enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Jordan said it had shot down 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, with two falling in unpopulated areas, an official spokesperson for the Jordanian Armed Forces stated.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned of further retaliatory strikes, claiming to have attacked two U.S. vessels, eight oil tankers, and 10 'non-compliant vessels' trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media reports.
What's still developing
- In a statement late on Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had sought to target a US warship twice over the past two days, but that the vessel “successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks”.
- “The US is now finding different targets, new targets, in terms of response to Iranian attacks, or what the US administration says are Iranian attacks,” he said.
- Watch: Missile interceptions seen in Jordan's night sky US forces struck five Iranian tankers on Tuesday, sinking one, in response to Tehran twice targeting an American warship, US Central Command (Centcom) said.