US Strikes Five Iranian Oil Tankers After Attacks

TEHRAN: (News Desk) – US forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday after Iran launched two ballistic-missile attacks against a US Navy warship in recent days, further escalating the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

US Central Command said the crews of all five tankers were ordered to evacuate before American forces struck the vessels and rendered them inoperable. The military described the operation as a response to what it called Iran’s latest failed attacks on US naval assets.

According to Central Command, an American warship successfully evaded two separate missile attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over a two-day period and continued its patrols in regional waters.

The latest strikes came only days after US forces destroyed three Iranian crude carriers on Saturday. Washington said those attacks followed unsuccessful Iranian attempts to target a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.

Iran has warned that attacks on its oil tankers would trigger retaliation against US bases and commercial vessels associated with American allies in the Gulf. Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi said Tehran would target US positions across the region if Washington continued striking Iranian tankers.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the American campaign, saying Washington would continue targeting Iranian oil carriers whenever Tehran attempts to strike US naval vessels.

The confrontation widened further on Wednesday when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they had attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 other ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities said the vessels had ignored warnings to leave an area declared unsafe and restricted.

Iran also threatened to target oil tankers operating near Kuwait and Bahrain, two key US allies in the Gulf, in retaliation for the American strikes.

Later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the US Al-Azraq air base in Jordan. Iranian state media reported damage to maintenance facilities, aircraft deployment areas and fighter-jet shelters. Jordan’s military, however, said it intercepted 18 missiles launched from Iran toward its territory.

The escalating exchange of attacks comes amid growing restrictions on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global route for oil and gas shipments. Washington is also intensifying efforts to restrict Iran’s ports and increase economic pressure on Tehran.

Iran claims capture of US underwater drone

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also claimed that it captured an American unmanned underwater vessel operating in the Strait of Hormuz and released images that it said showed the operation.

US Central Command disputed the Iranian account, saying the underwater vessel experienced a technical malfunction while conducting patrol operations in the strait in support of US Navy activities.

CENTCOM said the craft was an older model that did not gather sensitive intelligence and was not fitted with classified radar or sensor equipment.

The conflicting claims highlight the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Strait of Hormuz, where American and Iranian forces are conducting military operations amid heightened regional tensions.