US strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after missiles fired at Navy ships
U.S. Central Command released video Saturday of attacks on Iranian oil tankers that came after two Navy warships were targeted by ballistic missiles. (Source: U.S. Central Command)
The U.S. military responded to Iranian forces firing ballistic missiles at two of its warships with strikes on three crude oil tankers, disabling two of them and rendering a third inoperable, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The backstory:
CENTCOM explained that the two U.S. Navy ships, an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer, were patrolling regional waters at the time. The vessels were able to avoid the missile fire, and no Americans were injured in the incident.
Timeline:
On Saturday, the U.S. retaliated with strikes on oil tankers operated by Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Two of the tankers were permanently disabled by the U.S. attacks, while the third was struck in multiple locations to render it inoperable after the crew was allowed to abandon the ship, the military explained in a statement that included a warning for Iran.
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What they're saying:
"Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours," said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet."
Big picture view:
CENTCOM alleged the three tankers are part of a network that funnels billions of dollars to the Revolutionary Guard and its proxies. Its statement added that Iran has no capability to defend the tanker fleet.
The other side:
Iran’s state broadcaster reported that a spokesperson for Tehran’s joint military command had warned that attacks on U.S. military ships would increase if they interfere with Iranian shipping.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from U.S. Central Command and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.