The Trump administration announced Tuesday that U.S. Central Command successfully destroyed five Iranian crude‑oil tankers after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired missiles at a U.S. Navy warship on two separate occasions. The strikes mark the latest escalation in the six‑month conflict between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. response to Iranian aggression
In a social‑media post, U.S. Central Command said the tankers were targeted after Iran attempted missile attacks on the warship. The operation was described as a necessary defensive measure to protect American forces and maintain the free flow of commerce through the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy warned crews of oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels, claiming the ships could become targets in retaliation for the U.S. strikes. State television in Tehran accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting U.S. forces and aiding the attacks.
Retaliation in Jordan
Iranian state media reported that missiles were launched toward U.S. targets in Jordan as a tit‑for‑tat response. Jordan’s military said its air‑defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles, with two falling in uninhabited areas and no casualties reported. Jordan remains a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces, making its bases a frequent target of Iranian strikes.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Separately, Houthi rebels in Yemen ignited fires at several oil facilities and utilities in Saudi Arabia’s southern region, injuring at least 73 people, according to Saudi officials. The attacks hit civilian and economic facilities in the cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait. The escalation follows weeks of intensified fighting between the Iranian‑backed Houthis and Saudi‑backed Yemeni government forces, threatening stability in a region already strained by war.
British sanctions on Israeli settlements
In a related development, the United Kingdom announced a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband labeled the settlement activity as “ethnic cleansing” and said the ban would apply to all settlement‑origin goods and certain services. Israel responded by announcing the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem and the expulsion of U.K. representatives from a joint military monitoring center.
Iran captures U.S. underwater drone
Iranian state television reported the seizure of a U.S. underwater drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the Anduril Dive‑LD drone had malfunctioned more than a day earlier and was an older, commercially available model that did not contain sensitive data or classified sonar equipment. Hawkins added that the United States was not concerned about the loss.
Casualties in Gaza
Hospital officials in Gaza confirmed that a 10‑year‑old boy and a 69‑year‑old man were killed by Israeli fire near tents sheltering displaced Palestinians east of Khan Younis. Both victims died on the Palestinian side of the “yellow line” that separates Israeli‑controlled and Palestinian‑controlled areas of Gaza. Separate Israeli strikes in the Nuseirat refugee camp wounded ten people.
The series of incidents underscores the heightened volatility across the Middle East, with the Trump administration continuing to defend U.S. interests and allies while confronting Iranian aggression and regional instability.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
