The US military struck two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tankers on Tuesday in the first direct retaliatory attack on Iranian ships since the beginning of the war, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing US officials.
The move is part of a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by US President Donald Trump, the report said, and aims to further deter Iranian attacks on ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Prior to the new strategy, the US had only prevented Iranian ships from violating the naval blockade.
The tankers were anchored off Iran's coast north of the US naval blockade line, said Axios, when US drones launched missiles and hit their engine rooms.
The White House and US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that the wave of strikes launched on Iran were in response to recent Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the strait, as well as American bases in the region. CENTCOM's social media comment did not name specific targets struck during Tuesday-Wednesday's strikes.
