The US military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday and two tankers came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the United States was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and would ensure that the strategic waterway stayed open — for a fee.
US Central Command said it began strikes at Trump’s direction just after the US president told the Hugh Hewitt Show that Iran would be hit “very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.” He later told reporters at the White House that the US was attacking Iranian capabilities in the strait.
Soon after, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense said Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, while transiting the southern lane of the strait in Omani territorial waters, killing one crew member and injuring eight others.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had been hit by an unknown projectile while traveling 40 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Qalhat and that all crew were safe.
Reuters could not immediately verify whether the UKMTO report referred to the same incident as the one reported by the UAE’s Ministry of Defense. Iran has not commented on the latest attacks.
