US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Escalating Conflict
The US military has destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for missile attacks on a Navy warship. The strikes follow two attacks on US targets by Iran's Revolutionary Guard over the past two days.
The attacked tankers, including the Kivik and Charminar, were located in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command confirmed that the crews of all five vessels were told to abandon ship before the attacks.
Iranian state television reported that US forces attacked at least three Iranian oil tankers near Jask and near Kharg Island, with crew members being evacuated by lifeboat.
The latest strikes are part of a dual economic and military approach by President Donald Trump as he struggles to bring an end to the more than six-month-old war with Tehran. The US has also imposed sanctions on additional elements of Iran's aviation industry, targeting over two dozen commercial and private airlines.