US Destroys Five More Iranian Oil Tankers Amid Escalating Tensions
The US military has escalated its attacks on Iranian oil tankers in response to recent missile strikes on American warships. On Tuesday, the US destroyed five more Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, following a similar attack on Saturday that targeted three vessels.
The latest strikes were announced by U.S. Central Command after Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles at a Navy warship twice over the past two days. The US military said the crews of the five vessels were told to abandon ship before the attacks.
The destroyed tankers included the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, as well as the vessel Derya near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy had warned crews of oil tankers to leave their vessels, accusing Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting US forces and assisting in the attacks.
Iran has been trying to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world's oil passes through, while the US is seeking to limit Iran's oil exports by imposing sanctions on its aviation industry. The US has also been helping a limited number of ships transit through the strait off Oman.