The United States military has carried out new airstrikes against several targets in Iran. The attacks come after an unidentified assailant hit a commercial oil tanker while it was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the military action on Saturday was a direct reply to ongoing Iranian attacks on commercial shipping. Earlier that day, an Iranian drone targeted a Panama-flagged oil tanker called the M/T Kiku, which was carrying well over two million barrels of crude oil.
In response, US Navy and Air Force fighter jets hit ten Iranian military sites near the water. American military officials said the operation aimed to weaken Iran’s military power. The strikes targeted spy equipment, communication systems, air defence locations, drone storage areas, and minelaying tools.
To show the results of the mission, CENTCOM shared a short video on social media recorded from the air. The grainy, 35-second video showed explosions in different areas.
Meanwhile, news outlets inside Iran reported the incident as well. Local reports stated that they heard several large explosions in the southern regions of Sirik and Qeshm, which sit right along the shipping route.
Saturday’s airstrikes mark the second day in a row that American forces have stepped in. On Friday, the US also launched attacks after Iran allegedly targeted a different commercial ship named the Ever Lovely.
The repeated attacks on oil ships in the Strait of Hormuz—a narrow waterway where a major portion of the world’s oil travels every day—have raised serious concerns about global oil supplies and the safety of international shipping routes.
