US strikes Iran, destroys 5 oil tankers amid escalating war

U.S. military forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers Sept. 8, officials said, the latest in an escalating round of exchanges between the United States and Iran.

The strikes targeted five tankers linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to U.S. Central Command, the arm of the military overseeing operations in the Middle East. Central Command shared footage of the strikes showing the aft, or rear, part of the massive non-military vessels.

Central Command footage of the strikes shows missiles hitting the ships and leaving them in flames. Four of the tankers were located in the Gulf of Oman. The other tanker was in the Persian Gulf near Kharg Island, a well-known Iranian oil depot President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack.

U.S. forces targeted the vessels in response to two Iranian attacks on a Navy vessel over the past two days, according to Central Command.

Military authorities said they issued a warning to crews beforehand, telling them to abandon ship. It’s unclear if anyone was still aboard the vessels.

USA TODAY reached out to the Pentagon for information. Iranian leaders issued no immediate public response to the strikes.

The attacks come amid escalating hostilities between the United…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/