US Central Command on Wednesday said it destroyed five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to attempted attacks by the IRGC on an American warship. Iran has fired missiles at US targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state media, in what appears to be the latest escalation following recent American strikes.
The attack marks the latest exchange in a growing cycle of retaliation. Earlier, the US military said it had destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran's Revolutionary Guard allegedly carried out two attacks on a US warship over the past two days.
Asked about reports of strikes on a US airbase in Jordan, US Central Command said it had no information to provide.
CENTCOM identified the tankers destroyed in the Gulf of Oman as the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco. It also said US forces sank the Derya, which was operating near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to CENTCOM, the crews of all five vessels were warned to abandon ship before the strikes were carried out.
The attacks came three days after US forces destroyed three Iranian oil tankers following what Washington said was an attempted attack by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer.
Iranian state television also reported the US operation, saying American forces targeted at least three Iranian oil tankers near the southern port of Jask and close to Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. It added that the vessels' crews had been evacuated before the strikes.
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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has issued an evacuation order to all oil tankers stationed near Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, warning that vessels will be targeted if they fail to withdraw, hours after US Central Command destroyed five Iranian crude carriers.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that they had seized a US uncrewed submarine near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, providing a rare insight into the military use of underwater drones.
Iranian state media identified the vessel as a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle manufactured by California-based defence company Anduril. The 19-foot (5.8-metre) submersible is designed for missions including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and inspections of underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, according to the company.
(Source: Reuters)
Iran War Live Updates: Five Iranian Oil Tankers Destroyed After Attack On Navy Warship
US Central Command on Tuesday said it destroyed five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to attempted attacks by the IRGC on an American warship.
Iran War Live Updates: IRGC Says Targeted US Forces At Jordan's Al Azraq Base
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it launched "devastating" missile strikes at US forces stationed at Al Azraq base in Jordan. "In this operation, aimed at punishing the aggressor, a significant number of ballistic missiles, both solid and liquid fuel, struck the maintenance, preparation, and deployment sites of F-35, F-16, and F-15 fighter jets, as well as their shelters, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy”, the IRGC said in the statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
(Source: Al Jazeera)