US destroys five Iranian tankers amid escalation in the Strait of Hormuz
The latest round of confrontation has led to Iranian strikes on targets in Jordan and a rise in global oil prices to $99.46 per barrel.
Abdulrahman Sadikhli2 min read
The U.S. Armed Forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to attempts by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to attack American warships. According to a statement from U.S. Central Command, the incidents occurred after Iranian forces twice fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy ship over the past two days. The American vessel managed to evade the strikes, and there were no casualties among personnel.
The list of destroyed vessels includes the tankers Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco, which were located in the Gulf of Oman, as well as the tanker Derya, which was struck near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the American side, the crews of all five vessels were ordered to abandon ship before the attacks began. Iranian state media confirmed the destruction of the tankers, specifying that the strikes were carried out near the ports of Jask and Kharg Island.
As a retaliatory measure, Iran launched a missile strike on American facilities in Jordan. The Jordanian Armed Forces reported the successful interception of 18 ballistic missiles; two more missiles fell in unpopulated areas. No casualties were reported. Earlier, the IRGC warned tanker crews near Kuwait and Bahrain to abandon their ships, accusing these countries of assisting the U.S. military.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington would not leave Iran's attacks unanswered. "Iran continues to attempt to strike U.S. Navy ships. Every time they do so or attempt to do so, they will lose tankers," Rubio emphasized during a visit to Colombia.
Amid the escalation, the administration of President Donald Trump has expanded sanctions against Iran's aviation industry, including more than two dozen commercial and private airlines, as well as foreign freight carriers. These measures are aimed at further isolating Tehran from its trading partners.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passed before the conflict began, continues to destabilize the energy market. On Tuesday, the price of a barrel of Brent crude briefly reached $99.46. Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, warned that such mutual strikes have no "kinetic solution" and only bring the parties closer to an uncontrollable escalation.
Source: npr.org
