ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iranian oil tanker was struck by US missiles off the coast of Kharg Island in southern Iran, media outlets affiliated with the Iranian military reported late Tuesday, shortly after the entity overseeing Tehran's wartime operations claimed Washington threatened to target “three” Iranian tankers, vowing “severe” response against US assets in the region.
“A small Iranian oil tanker was targeted in a missile attack” carried out by the US “four miles off Kharg Island” in Iran’s southern Bushehr province, Tasnim News Agency, an affiliate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported.
“The tanker was struck by a US forces' projectile within the Kharg Island anchorage area,” the outlet claimed, citing local sources as saying the incident “resulted in no casualties” and that “the tanker's crew members are currently being evacuated.”
“The extent of the damage and the exact scope of the incident are being investigated by relevant authorities,” Tasnim added.
The report came shortly after Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters claimed that "the US military had threatened to target three Iranian tankers," warning that "any aggression against Iranian vessels" would prompt "severe targeting of US bases and interests in the region" by Tehran's armed forces.
In the wake of the alleged attack, the IRGC Navy Command issued what it described as an “urgent warning” to “all tanker crews within the vicinity of the docks of Kuwait and Bahrain” to “immediately evacuate their vessels, whether at anchorage or at the piers, because they will be targeted.”
The statement said the warning was issued in response to the targeting of "several" Iranian oil tankers by the US military, which it said were "hosted" by Kuwait and Bahrain, accusing both countries of being "partners" in what it called the US’s "evil acts."
Meanwhile, the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported a separate incident - “an attack on an Iranian oil tanker near the Yekbani coast of Bandar Jask” in Iran's southern Hormozgan province. IRIB further cited its correspondent in Jask as relaying that “a second oil tanker was struck near the waters of Jask,” noting that “the crews of both tankers are currently being evacuated via lifeboats” toward the county.
Notably, Fox News on Tuesday cited “senior US officials” as confirming that the “US military struck targets near Kharg Island and Jask,” identifying the targets as “Iranian oil tankers.”
“This is part of a larger effort to squeeze Iran economically,” the officials said, adding that “the strategy includes sinking and disabling Iranian crude oil tankers.”
Last updated at 12:20 pm
