The US targeted multiple Iranian oil tankers near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, two US officials told CNN, in the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran.One of the officials said the tankers were linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and were struck in response to attempted missile attacks on a US navy warship.The strikes come as the US intensifies its military and economic pressure on Iran, with Washington focusing its operations around the Strait of Hormuz. US forces have been escorting commercial vessels through the strategic waterway while maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports as part of a broader effort to increase pressure on Tehran’s leadership.Iran has vowed to retaliate by targeting oil tankers near ports in Bahrain and Kuwait.The IRGC, in a warning broadcast by Iranian state television, urged crews aboard tankers near the two countries to immediately abandon their vessels.“We warn all crews aboard oil tankers in the vicinity of ports in Kuwait and Bahrain … to immediately leave their vessels, whether they are at anchor or docked at the ports, as the vessels will be targeted,” Iranian state broadcaster IRIB quoted the IRGC as saying.Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that one of the tankers struck on Tuesday was about four miles (6 km) from Kharg Island, a major hub for Iran’s oil exports. IRIB reported that a second tanker was hit off the coast of Jask and said crews from both vessels were being taken ashore in lifeboats.The latest strikes follow a US attack on an Iranian tanker about six miles from Kharg Island over the weekend.Separately, the Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector, targeting 27 Iranian airlines and nine service providers and sales agents accused of providing services to Mahan Air.The privately owned airline has been under US sanctions since 2011 and is accused by Washington of providing support to the IRGC.The latest escalation follows reports that Iran attempted to attack US navy ships on Monday. The US military has not publicly acknowledged the reported incident, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited US officials.The reported attack came after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer over the weekend. No US navy ships were hit, according to US officials.The repeated attempts to target American warships have raised concerns in Washington that Iran may be using more advanced weapons, potentially with assistance from China or Russia.
