WASHINGTON — The US military carried out strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf and around the southeastern Iranian port city of Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest retaliatory exchange of fire between the two sides.
"American forces have struck multiple Iranian tankers tied to the IRGC in response to more attempted missile attacks on a US Navy warship," a US official told Al-Monitor.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said following the strikes that it had destroyed five tankers: the M/Ts Derya, Horizon, Kaviz, Charminar and Riesco. The alleged Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday was the second to target US Navy warships in just three days, military officials said.
The US warship that came under fire on Tuesday was not identified in a public statement by CENTCOM, which said that the ship and its crew were unharmed.
US military officials have repeatedly said they will respond if Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues to launch projectile attacks into the vital economic waterway.
