Tensions across West Asia have escalated sharply as the United States and Iran continue to exchange strikes, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
The United States said its military destroyed five Iranian crude-oil tankers following what Washington described as attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a US warship over the past two days. Iran, in retaliation, launched missiles toward US targets in Jordan.
US Central Command said in a social media post that the strikes came in response to two Iranian attempts over the previous two days to target the US warship with ballistic missiles.
It said the Iranian vessels destroyed in the operation included the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman.
Meanwhile, addressing the crew of maritime vessels in neighbouring ports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed retaliation against tankers near Bahraini and Kuwaiti ports.
It urged tanker crews to immediately leave vessels located either at anchor or inside ports, warning that the ships could be targeted.