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US Hits Iranian Tankers as Trump's New Deterrent Policy Kicks In
(MENAFN) US forces struck two Iranian government-owned tankers on Tuesday, part of a sweeping wave of strikes against Iranian military assets, according to American officials cited by media.
It was the first time Washington had targeted Iranian tankers as direct retaliation for attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — a shift from earlier strikes aimed only at enforcing a US naval blockade, media reported.
One US official said the tanker strikes stemmed from a newly approved "tanker for tanker" policy, greenlit by President Donald Trump, designed to discourage Iranian assaults on vessels moving through the strait.
The tankers, anchored off Iran's coastline north of the blockade line, were hit in their engine rooms by missiles fired from US drones, officials said. They were among roughly 100 targets struck across Iran on Tuesday, a list that included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense installations, radar networks, mine-laying equipment, communications hubs, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and drone-launching sites.
Tehran struck back with an estimated 25 ballistic missiles, though officials said only about half made it into Jordanian airspace — ten were shot down, and three landed harmlessly. Iran also launched close to two dozen drones toward US installations in Bahrain, with most intercepted, while additional missiles and drones hit US bases in Kuwait. Two drones aimed at a US base in Erbil, Iraq, were also intercepted.
The White House and US Central Command said the barrage was launched in response to recent IRGC attempts to strike commercial ships in the strait and separate attacks on American bases in the region. Media noted the operation also fits into a wider strategy Trump and his advisers are weighing to stop Iran from reconstituting the radar and missile systems it would need to threaten Gulf shipping again.
One US official told media the strikes had degraded Iran's military capacity and "bought at least a month" of reduced risk for commercial traffic.
Even amid the exchange of fire, US forces kept escorting vessels through the waterway — roughly 40 ships hauling millions of barrels of oil passed through on Tuesday alone, a US official said.
Iranian state media reported that a US strike hit a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more. CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins pushed back on the claim: "We're aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC."
A US official offered a blunter assessment of Iran's position: "the Iranians have not only lost control of the Strait of Hormuz, they have also lost control over the conflict. They got nothing today."
It was the first time Washington had targeted Iranian tankers as direct retaliation for attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — a shift from earlier strikes aimed only at enforcing a US naval blockade, media reported.
One US official said the tanker strikes stemmed from a newly approved "tanker for tanker" policy, greenlit by President Donald Trump, designed to discourage Iranian assaults on vessels moving through the strait.
The tankers, anchored off Iran's coastline north of the blockade line, were hit in their engine rooms by missiles fired from US drones, officials said. They were among roughly 100 targets struck across Iran on Tuesday, a list that included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense installations, radar networks, mine-laying equipment, communications hubs, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and drone-launching sites.
Tehran struck back with an estimated 25 ballistic missiles, though officials said only about half made it into Jordanian airspace — ten were shot down, and three landed harmlessly. Iran also launched close to two dozen drones toward US installations in Bahrain, with most intercepted, while additional missiles and drones hit US bases in Kuwait. Two drones aimed at a US base in Erbil, Iraq, were also intercepted.
The White House and US Central Command said the barrage was launched in response to recent IRGC attempts to strike commercial ships in the strait and separate attacks on American bases in the region. Media noted the operation also fits into a wider strategy Trump and his advisers are weighing to stop Iran from reconstituting the radar and missile systems it would need to threaten Gulf shipping again.
One US official told media the strikes had degraded Iran's military capacity and "bought at least a month" of reduced risk for commercial traffic.
Even amid the exchange of fire, US forces kept escorting vessels through the waterway — roughly 40 ships hauling millions of barrels of oil passed through on Tuesday alone, a US official said.
Iranian state media reported that a US strike hit a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more. CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins pushed back on the claim: "We're aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC."
A US official offered a blunter assessment of Iran's position: "the Iranians have not only lost control of the Strait of Hormuz, they have also lost control over the conflict. They got nothing today."
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