US forces struck five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday, sinking one of them, after Iran twice targeted a US warship, according to US Central Command.
Centcom said four of the vessels were in the Gulf of Oman and linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, while a fifth tanker was targeted near Kharg Island, an important Iranian oil-export terminal. It later said the M/T Riesco had sunk in the Gulf of Oman and released video showing the damaged vessel.
The US military said the tankers formed part of a multibillion-dollar network that finances the Revolutionary Guards and its regional proxies. The latest action followed ballistic-missile attacks on a US warship that Centcom said were successfully evaded. It said no American troops were harmed.
Iran responded by launching 20 missiles at a US base in Jordan, according to Jordanian authorities. A spokesperson for the Jordanian Armed Forces said 18 missiles were intercepted, while the remaining two landed in unpopulated areas.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards subsequently said they had attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 other vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media. The claims were made after the Guards warned that further retaliatory action could follow.
Oil prices rise amid regional instability
Oil prices moved higher during Asian trading as the exchanges between Washington and Tehran intensified. Brent crude rose 1.5% to $99.35 a barrel, while US-traded oil increased 1.3% to $94.23.
Kharg Island handles about 90% of Iran’s crude-oil exports, with oil transported there by pipeline from the mainland, according to the report. The strikes came amid heightened pressure on energy markets from instability across the region.
On Tuesday, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement also attacked energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Saudi authorities said. The drone and missile assault injured 73 people and caused fires that temporarily halted operations at oil facilities and other installations, according to Saudi Arabia’s military and energy ministry.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran had continued attempting to strike US naval ships and indicated that the United States would respond by targeting tankers. Separately, Iran’s navy said it had seized an uncrewed US submarine in the Strait of Hormuz. A Centcom spokesperson said the underwater drone had malfunctioned more than a day earlier and contained no sensitive data or classified sonar or radar equipment.
Source: BBC News
