Gulf Edu
The US targeted multiple Iranian tankers near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to two US officials. One of the officials said US forces struck the Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in response to an attempted missile attack on a US Navy warship. The strikes are part of a broader US strategy to focus on disabling targets around the Strait of Hormuz, including escort operations for commercial vessels and maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian ports to increase economic pressure on the regime.
Iran has vowed retaliation by targeting oil tankers near Bahraini and Kuwaiti ports. IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster, quoted the IRGC as warning crews aboard oil tankers in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels immediately, as they will be targeted. One tanker hit Tuesday was four miles from Kharg Island, a Persian Gulf hub for Iranian oil exports, per Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. A second tanker was struck off the coast of Jask, with crews evacuated in lifeboats. The latest strikes followed a weekend attack on an Iranian tanker six miles from Kharg Island.
Additionally, the Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s airline industry, targeting 27 Iranian airlines and nine service providers accused of supporting Mahan Air, which has been sanctioned since 2011 for IRGC ties. This story is ongoing and will be updated.
Source: CNN
