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Iran Strikes Togo-Flagged Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Confirmed
In Short: Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy says it struck a Togo-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the vessel was making an illegal passage.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy reported striking a Togo-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, causing it to catch fire and come to a halt. The IRGC Navy stated the tanker had attempted to cross the strait after being 'incited and deceived' by the US military.
According to Iranian state media, the tanker's crew was warned ahead of the strike and instructed to abandon the vessel. The incident occurred roughly 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, as reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The strike follows a series of escalating tensions in the region. Last week, Iran announced the creation of a new 'prohibited zone' near the Strait of Hormuz, extending beyond the strait into portions of the Persian Gulf. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has been inspecting vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports since April 13, as part of efforts to restrict Iranian petroleum exports and maritime traffic.
US Central Command also reported destroying five Iranian oil tankers carrying crude oil in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island, describing the strikes as a response to actions by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US military struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Saturday after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles at two American warships.
What's confirmed
- Iran’s IRGC says it struck Togo-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz Arab News PK Arab News Arab News JP Arab News FR Friday.
- The tanker came to a halt after catching fire, the Revolutionary Guards Navy added.
What's still developing
- Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said the designated area would extend beyond the strait into portions of the Persian Gulf.
- The IRGC said the US would regret the strikes and Iranian news agencies reported that retaliatory missile and drone attacks on "US bases and interests in the region" had begun.
- Trump said Tuesday's "large and powerful" strikes were a response to Iran's targeting of a US military base in Jordan, adding the country had "failed" at adding sea mines to the Strait. He also threatened that a much larger-scale attack was "waiting in the wings".
- The US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February, with Iran responding by attacking Israel, US bases and allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to marine traffic.
- The attack follows the first known US strikes on Iran since late July earlier this week, when forces attacked two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait.
- US Central Command (Centcom) said an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded what it called multiple unprovoked attacks before retaliating against the tankers.
- He said the three tankers were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network used to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies, as CNBC reported.
- Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance said the military was investigating Iranian claims that a US strike killed at least four people, including two children, at a wedding in the southern Iranian town of Sirik on Tuesday.