US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation for Warship Attacks
The US Central Command announced that it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempting to attack a US Navy warship. The strike was a response to two consecutive days of attempted missile attacks on the American vessel, which successfully evaded the attacks and continued patrolling regional waters.
No American personnel were harmed during the incident. Iranian state television also reported the strikes, stating that at least three oil tankers were attacked near the southern port of Jask and Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The crews were reportedly evacuated from the ships.
The latest tit-for-tat strikes come as Washington and Tehran are escalating their conflict, with over six months of war between them. Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, warned that such back-and-forth strikes can only risk more retaliation and further impact to the global economy.