US Military Destroys Iranian Oil Tankers in Latest Escalation

The U.S. military announced it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to attacks on its warships, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

The latest strikes follow a pattern of back-and-forth retaliation that has seen both sides exchange blows over the past six months. Iran's Revolutionary Guards had warned it would target U.S. tankers if necessary, and now the American military is taking action to defend its interests in the region.

According to the U.S. Central Command, the Iranian tankers were struck on Tuesday after they targeted a Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. The crews of the five vessels were told to abandon ship before the attacks.

The incident is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to isolate Iran economically and militarily. On Tuesday, the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iranian aviation companies and foreign cargo service providers, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines.