US Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation
The Middle East conflict got worse again on Saturday after the US military hit three Iranian oil tankers, CNBC reported. It was a straight reply to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships in the area. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said an aircraft carrier and a destroyer dodged several waves of attacks, and no US personnel were injured.
Two oil tankers were "permanently disabled," and a third tanker, which was empty, was destroyed. One tanker was struck off the coast of Kharg Island. Another was hit near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The empty vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, where the US said it had "ordered its crew to abandon ship." Those spots sit next to the world's most critical crude oil export routes. So yes, the pressure on oil prices and shipping risk just went up.
The strikes happened a day after US President Donald Trump tried to brush off the conflict, calling it "small potatoes." This stop-start clash between the US and Iran has been going on since February 28, when the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran. ABMedia earlier reported on Iranian missile strikes on Kuwait, a 9% rise in US oil prices this week, and multiple mysterious attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.