The United States military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday evening, i24NEWS reported. Explosions were heard near the Strait of Hormuz. The strike is the latest in a series; earlier Wednesday, a US official told i24NEWS that Washington had destroyed 10 tankers over the past week.
The United States military destroyed five additional Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday evening, according to a report from i24NEWS. Explosions were reported near the Strait of Hormuz. The attack is the latest in an intensifying US campaign against Iranian maritime assets, following an earlier confirmation that Washington had already destroyed 10 oil tankers over the past week.
Earlier Wednesday at 11:18 Jerusalem, i24NEWS reported that a senior US official confirmed the US had attacked and destroyed 10 Iranian oil tankers over the past week — double the five tankers U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it destroyed on Sept. 8 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. CENTCOM's initial report, also published at 11:18 Jerusalem on Wednesday, detailed the destruction of five crude oil carriers on Sept. 8, noting the warship evaded the attack without casualties. With Wednesday evening's strike, the US has now destroyed at least 15 Iranian oil tankers in the current campaign.
The campaign comes amid a broader escalation between Washington and Tehran. As The Zioneer reported, Iran launched ballistic missiles at a US base in Jordan on Sept. 4, and earlier in June, IRGC targeted US bases across the Middle East with missile barrages and fired warning shots near the Strait of Hormuz. The US has described its strikes as preemptive self-defense operations.
No details on casualties or the condition of the latest tankers have been reported.
4 developments
- DevelopingUS strikes Iranian targets in retaliation for tanker attack, report says
- DevelopingThe source: US seizes oil tanker, Iran fires missiles at US warships
- DevelopingCENTCOM releases footage documenting sinking of Iranian oil tanker in Sea of Oman
- StrongUS forces reportedly strike Iranian oil tanker 'DERYA'
Source and signal
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