finance
U.S. Forces Strike Three Iranian-Linked Tankers in Gulf of Oman
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets disabled two tankers by firing precision munitions into their smokestacks and a third by shooting its rudder on Friday. The action came after Iran targeted three U.S. warships and seized a sanctioned tanker. As of Friday evening, Washington awaited Iran's response to its latest peace offer while enforcing a blockade now in its fourth week.
May 8, 10:39 PM·2m read2 sources
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U.S. forces launched airstrikes on Friday targeting three empty Iranian-linked tankers that attempted to breach the American blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet disabled two of the vessels, the Iranian-flagged M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, by firing precision munitions into their smokestacks.
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A third ship was disabled when an F/A-18 Super Hornet fired several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun into its rudder. Video showed thick black smoke rising from the vessels after the strikes.
U.S. Central Command said American forces stopped them. U.S. has roughly 15,000 troops enforcing the blockade, which took effect on April 13. American forces are currently preventing more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Those prevented tankers have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus. The strikes followed a series of Iranian actions in recent days.
U.S. Warships in the strait on Thursday evening. U.S. ” On Monday, Iran attacked a Chinese-owned oil products tanker near the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates coast.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian acknowledged the attack on Friday. Lin Jian said Beijing would continue pushing for peace talks and de-escalation. Lin Jian said China is deeply concerned that a large number of vessels along with their crew have been caught in the conflict and stranded in the strait.
