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US says it destroyed three Iranian tankers as Tehran threatens retaliation

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Ongoing story
  • The United States said it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired on US warships, while Iran called the attacks illegal and aggressive.
  • Tehran threatened harsher and potentially wider attacks on US military vessels if hostilities continue; Washington said the tankers funded an illicit network linked to the Revolutionary Guards.
  • The conflict, which began with a US-Israeli offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, is intensifying as US midterm elections approach and President Donald Trump downplays the war.

The United States says it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers after what it described as missile attacks on its warships. Iran has warned that its response will be harsher if the bombardment continues, pushing the conflict into a sharper confrontation in the Gulf.

US Central Command said the Iranian vessels were attacked off the coast of Kharg Island and in the Gulf of Oman. One tanker was struck after its crew had been ordered to abandon ship. Video released by Centcom showed fireballs following missile impacts on the vessels. The US military said the tankers formed part of a multibillion-dollar clandestine network financing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional partners. No US service members were injured.

Let the message to the IRGC be clear: if they fire on two of our ships, we will impose an even greater economic cost by eliminating three of theirs.

· Brad CooperThe Centcom commander described the US rationale for destroying the three Iranian tankers.

“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: if they fire on two of our ships, we will impose an even greater economic cost by eliminating three of theirs,” Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the strikes on the country’s main oil port, calling them illegal and aggressive actions. Khatam al-Anbiya, Iran’s joint central military command, warned that attacks on US military vessels in the region would be “more severe than before and could spread” if hostilities continued.

more severe than before and could spread

· Khatam al-AnbiyaIran’s joint central military command threatened a stronger and potentially wider response if hostilities continued.

The two sides remain locked in the war that began on Feb. 28 with a US and Israeli offensive against Iran. Iran maintains tight control over the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran said it attacked US military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the deaths of civilians at a wedding hit by enemy bombardment. US Vice President JD Vance said the incident was under investigation but expressed skepticism about Iran’s account.

The government of President Donald Trump is seeking to play down the conflict as it becomes increasingly unpopular among Americans ahead of the midterm elections. Trump called the war “a piece of cake” and said many people did not call it a war, preferring the term military conflict.

a piece of cake

· Donald TrumpThe US president used the phrase while downplaying the conflict ahead of the midterm elections.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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