Commodities
US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers Amid Escalating Conflict
US forces have destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to repeated missile attacks on an American Navy warship. This is the second time in less than a week that Washington has targeted Iranian tankers.
The strikes came after Iran launched ballistic missiles at the US warship twice in recent days, with the ship successfully evading the attempted attacks and continuing to patrol regional waters.
'American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable,' said a statement from the US Central Command (Centcom).
The destruction of the tankers is part of an escalating conflict between the two nations, with Iran vowing to hit back by targeting oil carriers near US-allied Gulf states.