US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Escalating Conflict
The US military has escalated its conflict with Iran by destroying five Iranian oil tankers in response to missile attacks on a US warship. The strikes come just three days after the US destroyed three other Iranian oil tankers, and mark the latest tit-for-tat retaliation between the two nations.
According to Central Command, the crews of the five vessels were told to abandon ship before the attacks, which took place in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military has been helping a limited number of ships transit through the strait, but Iran wants vessels to follow a route that it chooses.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US will not allow Iran's attacks to go unanswered, warning that for every time Iran tries to hit US naval ships, they will lose tankers. Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, cautioned that such back-and-forth strikes can only risk more retaliation and further impact to the global economy.
The latest strikes are part of a dual economic and military approach by President Donald Trump as he struggles to bring an end to a 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, as well as foreign cargo service providers.