US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation Escalation

Yesterday, the United States military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island as part of a retaliation against Iranian ballistic missile attacks. According to CENTCOM, no American personnel were harmed during the strikes.

The IRGC had previously launched two attempts to target a U.S. warship with ballistic missiles over two days, but the vessel 'successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks.'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that 'Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers.'

The Strait of Hormuz has been a point of contention between the two nations, with Iran maintaining its closure and Washington enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.