Iran claimed responsibility early today for the attack on a U.S. unmanned surface vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, following U.S. strikes against three of its oil tankers in the Gulf.
The Revolutionary Guards “attacked an unmanned U.S. military surface vessel (a remotely piloted vessel) that was attempting to infiltrate the protected zone of the Strait of Hormuz,” stated Iran’s elite armed force in a statement cited by state television.
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Earlier, they had announced that “they had targeted three oil tankers [sailing] through unauthorized passages in the Strait of Hormuz and three U.S. ships in other areas,” warning other vessels not to attempt to transit routes not approved by Tehran.
Earlier still, the U.S. Joint Forces Command for the Middle East (CENTCOM) had stated that it had targeted Iranian oil tankers.
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It reported that it had “permanently neutralized” two and “completely destroyed” a third, stating that these ships were part of “a secret network” that funds the Revolutionary Guards and their associates with “many billions of dollars.”
One of the ships was off the coast of Kharg Island, where Iran’s main oil terminal in the Gulf is located, another further south near the Strait of Hormuz, close to Jask, and the third in the Gulf of Oman, according to the U.S. military.
The Revolutionary Guards confirmed the U.S. attack on “three oil tankers belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage,” viewing it as “an act of desperation in the face of the closure” of this strategically important maritime trade route.
The latest exchange of blows is taking place against a backdrop of diplomatic deadlock over ending the war in the Middle East, while Washington reiterates its intention to ramp up economic pressure on Tehran.
Iran continues its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. is imposing a blockade on Iranian ports—neither side appears willing to back down.
If hostilities continue, “strikes against U.S. warships in the region will be harsher than previously anticipated,” threatened Hatam al-Anbiya, commander of Iran’s Joint Armed Forces Staff.
Washington launched the new strikes after a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer “escaped multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks,” the U.S. military reported, adding that no American service members were injured.
According to an Iranian state television reporter on the scene, the bombing of the oil tanker near Kharg Island caused no casualties.
Another reporter from the same network in Jask, who had reported on attacks against two oil tankers “near the city,” stated that one “was empty” and that the second “was carrying oil.” The crews were taken ashore, he said.
Source: PROTO THEMA
