US strikes five Iranian tankers after missile attacks
US forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over two days, the US Central Command said Tuesday.
CENTCOM said the US warship evaded both attacks and continued patrolling regional waters. No American personnel were injured.
The command said one of the tankers, the M/T Riesco, sank in the Gulf of Oman after being destroyed by US forces on Sept. 8. CENTCOM released footage showing the vessel sinking.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would continue to lose tankers if it attempted to strike US naval vessels.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Tankers targeted near Kharg Island and Jask
Iranian media reported attacks on additional oil tankers near Kharg Island and the southern port of Jask.
Tasnim news agency said a small Iranian oil tanker was struck about four nautical miles from Kharg Island, with no casualties reported. The crew was evacuated.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB later reported that two tankers were attacked near Jask, with their crews evacuated to shore by lifeboats.
Reports also said explosions were heard around Kharg Island and Jask, although there were initially no visible signs of smoke or fire in some areas.
Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles
The escalation also extended to Jordan, where the armed forces said their air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
Jordan’s military said the remaining two missiles fell in unpopulated areas. No casualties were reported.
The military said radar, early-warning and air defense systems remained on the highest state of alert, while teams worked to secure areas where missile debris and shrapnel had fallen.
Iran’s IRGC said it had targeted a US military base in Jordan with ballistic missiles and vowed to continue retaliatory attacks until what it described as US aggression ends.
Merchant vessel incident reported in Hormuz
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said Tuesday that a merchant vessel was involved in a security incident linked to ongoing military activity in the Strait of Hormuz.
UKMTO did not identify the vessel or provide details on casualties or the nature of the incident. It said authorities were aware of the incident and investigations were continuing.
The organization urged ships operating in the area to monitor the latest maritime security information and remain alert to the rapidly changing operational environment.
Tensions rise around strategic waterway
The incidents mark a sharp escalation in military activity involving Iran, the United States and regional states, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.
The latest developments come despite a memorandum signed in June that envisioned an agreement to reopen the strategic waterway as part of a broader effort toward a peace deal.
Source:AA
