U.S. strikes five Iranian tankers, sinks one; Iran fires rockets toward Jordan
The U.S. says one Iranian-linked tanker was sunk; Iran launched rockets toward Jordan and claimed attacks on several ships.
U.S. forces struck five Iranian-linked tankers in the Gulf of Oman and nearby waters, sinking one vessel, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The strikes were carried out after Tehran reportedly targeted a U.S. warship, CENTCOM added.
Sequence of strikes and responses
CENTCOM said four of the tankers were connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and were struck in the Gulf of Oman, while a fifth tanker was hit near Harg Island, a major Iranian oil terminal on the country’s coast. One of the tankers was sunk as a result of the U.S. action.
Iran replied by launching rockets toward a U.S. base in Jordan and by claiming attacks on ships in regional waterways. Jordan reported that it intercepted 18 of 20 incoming Iranian rockets, and that two fell in uninhabited areas.
State media in Tehran quoted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying it had attacked two American ships, eight tankers and ten vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without authorization, and warned of further retaliatory strikes.
CENTCOM said the earlier Iranian ballistic missile attack on a U.S. warship had been successfully avoided and that no U.S. service members were injured. The escalation was accompanied by Houthi assaults — the Iran-backed group struck civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia the previous day.
Responding to the latest round of strikes between Washington and Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "Iran continues to try to attack American warships. And every time they do that or try to do that, they will lose tankers."
Photo: АП)
