US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation for Warship Attacks
US military forces have targeted and destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for attacks on a US warship by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The strikes come as Washington and Tehran engage in an escalating cycle of violence, with both sides seeking to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US Central Command announced that it had struck the tankers following two Iranian attempts to hit the warship with ballistic missiles over the past two days. 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 a US naval ship, 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 the global economy.