The US military said on Saturday that it attacked three Iranian oil tankers after US Navy ships were targeted with ballistic missiles. This marks a major escalation in a months-long, intermittent conflict. US officials said the attacks followed several unprovoked attacks on a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer while they were patrolling waters in the region; no US personnel were reported injured.
According to US Central Command, two tankers were "permanently out of commission" and a third, unloaded vessel, was destroyed when its crew was ordered to abandon ship. The military released video footage of the attacks and described the targeted tankers as part of a shadow maritime network that helps finance Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated proxy forces in the Middle East. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, warned that the US would "destroy Iran's limited and open oil fleet, if necessary."
Iran's state media immediately responded, reporting that Tehran had attacked three oil tankers and three American ships in retaliation for the U.S. strikes; this claim could not be separately confirmed. According to state broadcasters, Iran's Joint Military Command warned that any further attacks on Iranian vessels would trigger an even harsher response against U.S. military vessels. Iranian officials have stressed that attacks targeting U.S. warships would only escalate the conflict.
Initially, Persian-language state television coverage reported that U.S. missiles had struck a tanker about six miles off Kharg Island, a major Iranian crude oil export terminal that has been repeatedly targeted during the war. The U.S. reported that one tanker was struck near Kharg Island and the other near Jask, east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz; the destroyed, unloaded tanker was struck in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian government reports said the crews of all three tankers had been evacuated.
These attacks come amid a steady decline in diplomatic efforts and a renewed escalation in hostilities since late February, when U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a series of retaliatory strikes. Just a day before the U.S. strikes, President Donald Trump on Saturday attempted to downplay the confrontation, calling it a "minor incident." Nevertheless, experts interpreted the targeting of U.S. warships with ballistic missiles—including an attempt to attack an aircraft carrier—as a sign that Tehran is increasingly willing to take risks it previously avoided, potentially threatening some of the most vital American military assets in the region.
These attacks also follow previous U.S. actions targeting Iranian tankers. In May, the U.S. said it had launched precision bombs into the smokestacks of two unladen Iranian oil tankers. During the fighting, U.S. The aim has been to combine military pressure with economic measures to disrupt Tehran's funding of its military and proxy activities. Sanctions and crackdowns on foreign financial institutions that facilitate Iranian transactions have been part of that broader strategy. Iran has also adapted to economic pressure over the past few years, developing a so-called shadow fleet of tankers and methods for secretly transporting oil through ship-to-ship transfers. This system has helped Tehran circumvent sanctions, and when combined with efforts to circumvent the U.S. maritime blockade, it has allowed it to continue exports, alleviating some of the country's economic hardship.
About a week before these attacks, U.S. and Iranian forces resumed fighting after a brief lull. The Strait of Hormuz and surrounding Iranian communities have been the scene of repeated clashes, and recent U.S. bombings in southern Iran have resulted in civilian casualties. In a reported incident earlier this week, at least five people were killed and children injured when attacks struck populated areas and a telecommunications tower. Survivors described the chaos of the blasts and the damage that followed.
Diplomatic avenues that once offered hope have now collapsed. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program broke down after a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June yielded no significant progress, and now there are reports that Western powers are attempting to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for alleged non-compliance with nuclear non-proliferation requirements. The ongoing fighting has shifted focus from nuclear negotiations to control of vital shipping lanes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for oil and gas shipments worldwide.
U.S. The Navy continues to escort commercial traffic through the Strait as Tehran increasingly asserts its capabilities and targets some vessels, but maritime traffic remains low. Both sides appear to be using limited strikes to inflict military and economic damage while trying to manage the risk of a larger war—yet recent engagements, including attacks on tankers and warships, suggest that a conflict could escalate if either side escalates further.
Read more : - Woolly Solution: How Sheep Wool Protected Glacier Ice in Switzerland
.jpeg)
0 Comments