The United States attacked an Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island with four missiles, according to reports circulating Saturday afternoon. No casualties have been reported. The same reports assess that Washington is shifting to a 'tanker for tanker' policy, under which the US would strike Iranian tankers and energy assets in response to Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States struck an Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island with four missiles on Saturday afternoon, according to reports circulating on security-oriented channels. The reports assess that the US is adopting a 'tanker for tanker' policy, under which Washington would strike Iranian tankers and energy infrastructure in response to Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. No casualties have been reported, and there is no immediate confirmation of the extent of damage to the vessel.
The reported strike follows a series of reports earlier Saturday. Initial accounts of explosions near Kharg Island emerged in the morning. By 09:30 Jerusalem, unconfirmed reports suggested an Iranian oil tanker had been attacked, and Iranian state media Tasnim confirmed that four US munitions had struck a tanker near the island, reporting no casualties. The Zioneer independently reported at 11:55 that Washington was blocking an Iranian oil tanker from reaching the Kharg Island terminal, signaling an extension of the US campaign beyond the Strait of Hormuz blockade to directly interdict Iran's oil revenue infrastructure at its source.
The reported 'tanker for tanker' policy would formalize a pattern that has emerged in recent weeks. As The Zioneer has reported, the US has conducted strikes against Iranian power plants and military infrastructure, and Iran has attacked oil tankers in the Gulf and off the coast of Oman.
The report of Saturday's strike originates from a single channel and has not been independently confirmed. No official statement from the United States or Iran has been issued.
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